And No Birds Sang
by Queen Angelblood
Summary: [Sequel to Dawn of Terror] Rei is sent to the city. Can he survive? [Chapter 13! Complete]
1. City Calling

(A/N: Sorry about the delay. I promised this fic within a day or so, but ff.net suspended me again and thus "day" turned into "week." -__- Sorry.  
  
THE SEQUEL TO "DAWN OF TERROR" IS HERE! *dances, then gets smacked with the frying pan of reason* @_@ Owwies....Thank you to all who reviewed "Dawn of Terror" and I hope you enjoy this fic just as much. ^^)  
  
Summary: During the war that ensued after the liberation of neko-jins, Rei is sent to the big city to get away from the constant racism that abounds. There, he gets swept up in the seedy underworld of the city. Will he be able to survive and return home to Kai?  
  
Warning: SHONEN-AI! Maybe some YAOI (yaoi, in my definition, being "harder" than shonen-ai) later on. Umm....probably rape, self-harm, drugs use, swears, explicit-ness, etc., etc. later in the fic.  
  
NOW! On with the fic!   
  
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 1: City Calling  
  
There was a knock on the door. Kai glanced up from his papers. "Come in," he grunted, looking back down at the white sheets in front of him.   
  
The door opened, then clicked shut. Kai glanced up again to lock eyes with the raven-haired neko-jin who was, at most times, the centre of his thoughts. Rei smiled at him and Kai wished he could smile back. He glanced away. "Sit," he commanded softly.   
  
Rei noticed the change in Kai's eyes - the deep red turning to an almost burgendy, denoting a deep sadness. Rei had learned early on to read the bluenette's eyes, for they were the only sign of any emotion on Kai's face. "What's wrong?" he asked, quietly, settling back in one of the plush chairs in Kai's office.   
  
Kai took a shaky breath and looked at Rei. "I'm sending you to the city," he said.  
  
Rei's heart leapt into his throat and he coughed lightly, choking on it. "What?" he choked.   
  
Kai didn't look at him. He was, instead, focused on his papers. "You heard me. You're going to the city until all this is over."  
  
Rei leant forward, clutching the arms of the chair. "You can't!"  
  
Kai glared at him. "Hiwatari Rei, I think you know very well that I can."  
  
Rei shut his mouth and sat back in the chair, crossing his arms and pouting. Kai sighed, rolled his eyes and got up. He strode over to the neko-jin. Getting down on his knees, he knelt at Rei's feet and looked up into the raven-haired boy's deep, golden eyes. "You know that I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was for your own good."  
  
Rei snorted and looked away, seemingly unconvinced. "Rei-chan..."  
  
Rei looked sorrowfully back at his lover, pouting. Kai smiled. "Koneko, koneko. You need to get away from here. The people are getting more and more violent."  
  
Rei sighed. He knew that very well. Just last week, six neko-jins had been rioted against in a linen shop. After the police had showed up, the neko-jins were arrested for "disturbing the peace". "I know, Kai-kun. I know."  
  
Kai patted the other boy's hand reassuringly. "It's for your own good, Rei."  
  
Rei frowned. "I ...I just don't want to leave you!" he blurted, then clapped a hand to his mouth.   
  
He'd said that rather loudly and he could only hope that one of the maids hadn't heard and understood exactly why Rei didn't want to leave. Kai got to his feet and kissed Rei on the forehead gently. "I know. I don't want to let you go, but it's for the best."  
  
Rei sighed. "If you say so."  
  
Kai smiled and sat back down at his desk. "I'm glad you agree. Now, go get packing. I want you out of here as soon as possible."  
  
Rei sighed and got up slowly, reluctantly. He paused at the door and looked back at Kai. The bluenette gave him a fixed glare. "I'll miss you, Kai-kun."  
  
"I know. Now, hurry up."  
  
Rei walked out of Kai's office, shutting the door firmly behind himself.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Emily scurried to and fro, slamming pots and pans around about the kitchen. Rei sat at the worn table, studying his fingers intently. The red-headed maid glared at him angrily. "Is there a reason you're just sitting there and not helping me?"  
  
Rei looked at her dejectedly and said, rather blandly, "Yes."  
  
Emily rolled her eyes and went back to her helter-skelter cooking. Rei picked at his nails some more. There was silence in the kitchen, save for Emily banging her pots about. "Kai-sama's sending me away," Rei said, somewaht sadly.  
  
"Good riddance," Emily muttered, pouring some rice into a boiling pot of water. "The less neko-jins we have about here, the better."  
  
Rei made a face behind her back, then slunk out of the kitchen. He rather disliked the red-head. She wasn't like Mariah had been - not at all. Emily was loud, boisterous - a saucy wench. Rei decided he hated her. He slunk into the living room to find Max and Tyson sitting on the floor, playing a board game.   
  
Max waved cheerfully to Rei, smiling broadly. "Hey! Where've you been all afternoon Rei? Poker's just not the same without you!"   
  
Rei snorted. "It doesn't look like you're playing poker."  
  
Tyson grinned up at him. "Well, we were, until Emily confinscated the cards. She said we were being too loud."  
  
Rei raised and eyebrow. "Aren't you two always loud?"  
  
Tyson grinned broadly. "That's us!"  
  
Max rolled the dice and moved his piece about the board. He glanced up at Rei. "Wanna play? We're almost through with this game."  
  
Rei smiled. "Sure - "  
  
Somebody interrupted him. "Rei! I thought you were supposed to be packing!"  
  
Rei glanced sheepishly at the stairs, where Kai stood, glaring at him. "You'll have time for board games after you're done packing."  
  
Rei sighed. "Hai," he muttered, getting up.  
  
Kai watched the raven-haired boy ascend the stairs. He turned back, only to find Max and Tyson staring at him. "What?" he growled.   
  
"Where's Rei going?" Max asked, looking rather baffled.   
  
"Away," Kai answered briskly and walked by them, into the kitchen.  
  
Max looked at Tyson, who shrugged and rolled the dice.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Rei glanced about his room, trying to decided what the most necessary things to take were. He's never formally gone on a trip before - the last time he'd been away from home, it hadn't been a pleasant thing. In fact, if he remembered correctly, he'd never had a pleasant time when he was away from home. He sighed and sat down on the bed, defeated.  
  
The pale moonlight crept across the floor and he waggled his toes as they were bathed in the ethereal light. He sighed softly. He wondered briefly if the moon shone like this in the city.  
  
The door creaked open and Rei glanced up, only to find it was Kai slinking into his room. The bluenette shut the door quietly. "I thought you might be having trouble," he whispered, sitting down beside Rei, sinking into the mattress. He wrapped Rei up in his arms.   
  
"I'm sorry to let you go," he whispered and nuzzled Rei's neck.   
  
"I'll come back, won't I?" Rei asked nervously.  
  
Kai had made it sound so...final. As if he was going to leave and stay away forever. Kai shook his head. "Of course you'll come back, Rei. I wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
Rei smiled lightly and leaned back into Kai. The other boy was his stronghold. He felt so safe when he was wrapped in Kai's arms. He could feel the taut muscle underneath the sleeves of the bluenette's shirt and he felt as if nobody could harm him here.   
  
He sighed and listened to the thudding of Kai's heartbeat. Rei snuggled against the older boy, closing his eyes. He could stay like that forever...  
  
Kai shifted suddenly, patting Rei's thigh. "Time's awastin'," he said, getting up off the bed.   
  
Rei stared up at him from the mattress. The bluenette paid him no heed, bustling about the room, gathering the items Rei would need on his journey. He stuffed what he could into the large leather suitcase, before snapping it closed. He glanced at Rei.   
  
The neko-jin stared back. "You seem like you're in a hurry for me to leave," he said, his voice sounding as put-out as he felt.   
  
Kai's brow crinkled in worry and he got down on his knees. "That's not true," he said, rubbing his cheek against Rei's.  
  
The neko-jin purred. Kai smiled. "I'd keep you forever if I could."  
  
Rei studied the other boy's eyes. "Then why don't you?"  
  
Kai bit his lip and looked about. "Because..."  
  
He trailed off and looked back up at Rei, then leaned in and kissed him chastely. "i'll miss you," he whispered.   
  
Rei smiled sadly and hugged Kai. "I'll miss you too."  
  
They stayed like that, long into the night, savouring the other boy's presence. Each one of them was slightly afraid that this would be the last time the held each other like this, though neither would say it. Kai wouldn't say it, for fear of scaring Rei and Rei wouldn't say it because Kai wouldn't.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
[A/N: Sooooo...whaddya think? Good? Bad? R&R and let me know what you think.] 


	2. City Nights

(A/n: Thankies for the wonderful reviews! ^_^ Please note that I'll be changing my penname as soon as baka ff.net lets me. I'm not going to be numbered! XO  
  
Just-some-girl: Glad you like so far and there will be more. ^^  
  
Kuroi Neko: Yes! The squel is here! Rei's not going to die...yet, anyways...Funny. I like to kill of my favourite character and Rei just so happens to be my favourite...D And the new chappie is here...Now! ^_^  
  
Anime Girl: Nope, wasn't cruel enough to them in the first book. D Just kidding. People hate people that are different (ie. Neko-jins). And neko-jins are so much better than humans! XD Let's all be neko-jins!   
  
Desi: There will be more character deaths and I'm glad to be back too, even though ff.net has now branded me "Angelblood1". -___- Kevin will be here...eventually...and Kai might have trouble finding another housekeeper, but meh. XD Emily does need to die.   
  
Neko Oni: Glad you like it. ^_^  
  
Zidane: MWHA! You have been converted! *gets smacked with the frying pan of reason* @_@ Owwies...  
  
Now, on with the fic!)  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 2: City Nights   
  
Rei didn't even get to hug Kai goodbye. The bluenette had taken off during the night and when Rei woke, there was no one but himself in his room.   
  
Kevin, Gary, Grandpa and Tyson were piled in the car, along with Rei and his luggage. They were headed for the train station. Rei couldn't help but feel slightly abandoned. Had Kai left him purposely?   
  
He sighed heavily, watching the dull landscape roll by, almost hidden under a thick fog. Kevin looked up at Rei. "You all right?" he asked, breaking the furtive silence.  
  
"Yes," came the answer and it was tired.  
  
Kevin wondered what Rei was thinking about. He had no time to inquire as the car jerked to a halt. Grandpa glanced over the back of the seat at them. "We ish here now, boys. Ya'll git out and catch yon train, Mister Rei and ya'll have a nice time in da city."  
  
Rei smiled jadedly and clambered out of the car, grabbing his suitcase. "Bye," he said softly and heade for the station, ticket in hand.   
  
Kevin watched Rei go, the sinking feeling in his stomach growing with every passing second. He was leaden with dread that he would never see Rei again. He wanted to call out and stop the older boy and tell him that he was his best friend. But he couldn't. The dread made him silent and all he could do was watch Rei go.  
  
The engine started again and the car started forward, its tires crunching over gravel. Kevin pivoted, wanting to watch Rei until the very last...  
  
They hit a bump and he was jerked roughly so that he bumped his nose on the seat. Gary looked at him from under his eyelashes. "You'd better sit down, Kevin. We wouldn't want you to get hurt."  
  
Kevin obeyed the older neko-jin, turning back and slumping down. "Yeah, sure," he muttered, staring down at his feet.   
  
~*~*  
  
  
  
Rei sighed as he watched the car pull out of the station and head back the way it came. He would have liked them to stay until he had to get on the train. He had a funny feeling that when and if he saw them again, not everything would be the same...  
  
There was a loud whistle and Rei had to cover his ears with his hands. He snatched his suitcase from the station floor and headed to the coaches.   
  
Smoke billowed from the train's smoke stack and steam washed over the tracks, covering them in a mist finer than any other. Rei took a step up onto one of the coaches. A hand was suddenly in his face. He glanced up at the conductor.   
  
The uniformed man glared back. "Where's yore ticket?" he asked in highly annoying voice, drawing out some of his syllables.   
  
Rei glowered darkly and handed him the ticket. The conductor handed him back the stub and moved aside, allowing him on, but glared after the neko-jin. Rei sighed inwardly - it was always going to be like this, no matter who fought who. People hated him because of his ears, because of his tail - they were afraid of his differences.   
  
He supposed they couldn't see past the differences and see the similarities. He shrugged it off, but he couldn't shrug off the feeling of the conductor's eyes burning into his back as he walked onto the train and found his seat. All eyes were on him, filled with distaste. The other passengers were obviously disgusted by the fact they would be riding with a neko-jin.  
  
But hey, he was a paying customer too, so they couldn't very well refuse him. Especially not since the ticket had been paid for by Kai Hiwatari.  
  
The train ride was long and dreary. All about him, the train buzzed with talk, but not a word was spoken to him. He sat in miserable silence, wishing he was at home, sleeping by the warm fire instead of on this train, heading farther and farther away from the safety of Kai's arms.   
  
It was long past midnight when the train pulled into his stop. Rei jerked himself from a sort of sleep and gathered up his belongings. He got off the train in a sort of dazed state of mind, walking out into the nightime station.   
  
The station was illuminated by an artificial light, as was the rest of the city. Rei didn't bother calling a for a cab - it would be too much hassel. Who in their right mind would give a ride to a neko-jin at midnight?   
  
He trudged along the street, looking at the adress on the yellowed slip of paper Kai had given him. "127 Elm Street...Room 24..."  
  
He glanced around at his surroundings. The city was huge, tall houses dwarfed by towering skyscrapers. Their artificial lights shone into the late night sky and blocked out the stars. Cars rushed by, sending up water from puddles. Street lights beamed down, lighting up the night. On some of the buildings, glitzy signs with flashing lights tried to attract the eye. Pubs, strip clubs, bars...  
  
Rei guessed he was in the downtown core. There wasn't a street sign in sight and he sighed heavily. He should have ask for directions, he really should have, but who would give a neko-jin the time of day?  
  
He walked along, admiring the rows upon rows of shiny new cars parked alongside the curb, their owners presumably having a drink in one of the clubs. Rei kept walking.   
  
At last, he came to an intersection. He sighed in relief and disappointment. He'd been walking along Elm Street all the while, but he couldn't remember any of the numbers on the buildlings. He looked at the sreet, which stretched off into the distance, as far as the eye could see, lined with buildings.   
  
He turned back. He'd just have to re-check a building or two and see if he was even close.  
  
"Lost hun?"  
  
He glanced up, startled by the voice. He looked around hurriedly to see if there was anybody else about. A green-eyed girl smiled warmly at him. "I asked ya if you were lost."  
  
She walked toward him, still smiling. Rei couldn't tear his eyes away fom her, startled by the sudden friendliness being extended to him. He couldn't answer her. Instead, he nodded stupidly. She smiled. "Whatcha got there?" she asked, looking down at the note in his hand from over his shoulder.  
  
She rested her hands on his shoulder, putting her weight on him. He could feel her breath on the nape of his neck. Was it him or was it suddenly very, very humid in the city? He wanted to take off his overcoat, but refrained himself. "127 Elm," the girl said slowly.  
  
"Oh, I know where that is, hun."  
  
She pointed down the street a bit. "It's just down there. Ya'll see it - big place called 'Mandarin'. Ya can't miss it."  
  
She removed herself from his shoulder and gave him a wink as she started to walk away. "Ask fer Sakura - she'll make sure ya'll git a room tonight."  
  
And with that, she was gone and Rei was alone on the street corner again. He blinked in stupidity, then looked back towards his destination. He started off down the street.  
  
~*~*  
  
Rei coughed, walking in through the front door into a haze of cigarette smoke. The girl had been right - the Mandarin was a place too big to be missed. He curled his nose as the scent of alcohol, smoke and sex assaulted his senses. He pushed his way through the crowded room, out of the bar and into the back.   
  
The back room was quieter and the lights weren't fogged by smoke. An older woman - maybe in her early fifties - stood behind a desk, wearing a snarl as her expression. Her face was covered in gaudy make-up and her hair was frizzy and dyed red. "What can I do for you?" she sneered, looking Rei over and up and down. "Pretty-boy," she added afterwards.   
  
She was chewing gum and she blew a bubble and popped it then, as if to accentuate the sting the remark had. Rei timidly apporached the desk and handed her the stub Kai had given him about reservations. He didn't say anything. He looked at the floor instead.  
  
The woman looked from the ticket back to Rei, chewing her gum and looking rather disgusted. "So, you've got a reservation," she said, her contempt evident in her voice.   
  
Rei didn't look up from the floor and said, more to himself than anybody, "I was supposed to ask for Sakura."  
  
The woman laughed, a wretched choked sound that became a bark because of years of inhaling nicotine. "You're speakin' to 'er, boy!"  
  
Rei flattened his ears against his head, as if to shield himself from her laughter. The woman turned serious. "Sorry, hun, but you're room's been booked over. Shoulda got here sooner. First come first serve at this place."  
  
She handed him back the paper. She gave him a once over. "But," she said,"if ya ever wanna have some fun, drop by and ask for me."  
  
She gave him a wink and laughed. Rei crumpled the paper in his hand and flattened his ears again. He turned and walked back out, out of the bar, onto the empty street. He sat down on the curb, feeling tears start in his eyes. He wiped them away briskly.   
  
He'd just gotten here and already, things had turned rotten.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
"So, you think Hiwatari would do something like that?"  
  
"Yes. I do think he would."  
  
"But...why on Earth..."  
  
"Because -"  
  
"It just doesn't make any sense."  
  
There was a sigh. "I know it doesn't."  
  
A pause followed. "So...What do you want done about it then?"  
  
Another pause, then, "Find him. Kill him. Take it.Do whatever it takes, but just make sure you get me that -"  
  
"Yes Sir!"  
  
"And Jose."  
  
"Yes, Sir?"  
  
"Don't fail me this time."  
  
"Y-yes Sir."  
  
[A/N: Mwha...Plot development! WOOT! *dances* R&R pleez? *puppy-dog eyes*] 


	3. Three Drunkards

(A/N: Ten reviews for two chappies! WOOT! It's a world record! Okay....so not really. =P Thanks for the reviews! ^O^  
  
Anime Girl: Yes, I am evil. Thanks for noticing. XD Oh, wait...you were talking about Sakura...*sweatdrop* Run fast from Max! He'll be on sugar withdrawl! And the baddies are revealed!  
  
Desi: *pats on the head* Change thyne name. Just look it up before you change it and find out if its been taken or not. ^^ And yes! MWHA! I AM NUMBER ONE! *gets smacked* Err...was. O_o;;; *likes new name betta* ^^ Kai in mortal danger? Who says? D   
  
I'll save the boys...*grumbles* I had such a pretty headstone picked out for Kevin too. Darn. Just kidding. ^^  
  
Tenma Koneko: Rei's not gonna die soon...though there's a chance he might just 'cause he's my fav character. I have an awful habit of killing off my fav character. T_T And I think we all need to change our pennames...We are ppl! Not numbers! *smacks ff.net* Unless, of course, you a) like the number u got or b)had a number to begin with. ^^  
  
Curtis Zidane Ziraa: Can do! *smacks u with the Frying Pan of Reason!* XD Sorri about that, u asked for it. ^^;;; Hope that doesn't mean you'll stop liking the story though. T_T And yes, problems abound! Mwha!  
  
Neko Oni: Aww....I won't kill Rei-chan...yet...D And Kai, you should get that twitch checked out. *nods* And poor, poor Rei-chan...*discreetly hands Rei some tampons* ^_~ Betcha he knows where 2 put those. And you shouls be scared of your over emotional clones. They're scaring me and I'm on the otherside of the internet connection. O.o;;;  
  
Now, on with the fic!)  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 3: Three Drunkards  
  
The music pounded steadily, even as Luiz disappeared back stage, mopping his brow with a towel. He paused, looking down at a green-eyed girl who was smiling up at him. He smiled back. "Hola, Mari," he greeted, his Spanish accent evident in his voice.  
  
The green-eyed girl closed her eyes and tilted her head. "Ohayo, Luiz-chan. Dancing again?"  
  
The blond man nodded and shrugged. "What can I say? The crowd loves me."  
  
Mari, the girl, laughed lightly, and together they began walking toward Luiz's dressing room. She turned serious suddenly. Her eyes flashed and she looked sideways at Luiz. "I found him," she said softly, so that no one would overhear.  
  
Luiz paused, raising an eyebrow. "Eh?"  
  
Mari ducked inside the dressing room, her eyes darting about. She shut the door and locked it. She turned to face the blond man, who was seated on his chair, in front of his mirror. "Who are you talking about?"  
  
Mari smiled smugly and folded her arms across her chest. "I found HIM."  
  
Luiz looked at her, still confused. "Who's HIM?" he asked and Mari sighed in exasperation.   
  
"My brother, you idiot." Her eyes flashed excitedly.  
  
Luiz stood up. "Your...brother? Where? Where'd you find him?"  
  
Mari smiled and closed her eyes. "Right here in the city. He was headed down to the Mandarin."  
  
Luiz grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you sure it was him? I mean, it could have -"  
  
Mari hissed and bared her teeth, her eyes slitting. "It was him, alright, Luiz."  
  
Luiz let go of her. "How...did you know?"  
  
"His eyes gave it away."  
  
Luiz frowned. "Mari-chan, your eyes aren't even the same color as your brother's."  
  
Mari frowned. "Luiz, they may not be the same color, but they're certainly as expressive as mine. You could drown in them."  
  
Luiz nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, Mari-chan, you could drown in your eyes."  
  
Luiz sat back down on his chair. Mari sat down on the edge of the vanity. A cruel smirk crossed her features. Luiz looked up at her. "So, what do we do now that we've found him?"  
  
Mari's fangs poked from between her lips. "We get him to lead us back to that little rich bitch he calls Master," she said, a hint of malice in her voice.  
  
Luiz smirked too. "And then...?"  
  
Mari paused, as if thinking over her answer. "And then...then, we kill him."  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Rei shivered. It was long past midnight and the streets had since grown increasingly quiet. Even the numerous clubs and pubs were considerably quieter than before. Rei shivered. He didn't like being out here at this hour, not at all.   
  
He was cautious. His eyes darted to and fro, watching, waiting. Something was going to happen, he just knew it was...  
  
Just ahead of him, three considerably drunk men stumbled out of a bar, singing drunkly and staggring his way. "Oy, Fernado, pass the rum!"  
  
"There is no rum, Diego, you drunken fool!"  
  
"But there is beer!"  
  
"Let's hear it for alcohol!"  
  
And 'Fernando' and 'Deigo' threw an arm about each other's shoulders and began singing the praises of alcohol loudly into the nighttime streets. The third boy was considerably less drunk than his friends, but he too was drunk, nonetheless. 'Fernando' turned back to him, waving his hand. "Come on, Axel, join in!"  
  
"We can be a singing quartet!" chimed in Diego.  
  
Fernando paused to argue with Diego. "No, we'd be solo, because there's only three of us!"  
  
Axel joined them. "We'd be a...a...hextet!"  
  
"Of course! Silly us! We're a hextet!"  
  
And they started stumbling along again, singing about hextets and wine and spirits and other such 'wonders' of the world.   
  
Rei could merely stand there, completely dumbfounded. Oh yes, Grandpa was fond of his whiskey, but he'd never been this inebrated. Rei raised an eyebrow when the trio finally noticed him.  
  
"Oy! You, yes you there, with the pretty eyes! What's a pretty young lass like you doing out here at this time?!"  
  
Rei's cheeks flushed with anger. He wasn't a girl! The trio stopped and Fernando continued on. "I say, did you get lost?"  
  
Diego clicked his tongue in his mouth. "Pretty lasses shouldn't wander the streets at night - 'tis far too dangerous -"  
  
Axel, the third, interrupted, "What, with all those murderers and rapists and what! No place for a pretty gal, such as yourself." He winked at Rei and the neko-jin shuddered.   
  
Fernando smiled drunkenly. "I say, why don't you come with us? We're pretty safe -"  
  
Rei wasn't so sure about that and he raised and eyebrow. Diego continued. "Much better than rapists and murderers at any rate."  
  
Axel chimed in. "Aye, and we wouldn't dream of laying a hand on such a pretty lass, without her consent of course." He winked again.  
  
Fernando slurred, "I say, and you do look rather underage. Jailbait for us oldtimers!"  
  
The three drunkards laughed uproariously and Rei felt his eye twitch. "I'm not a girl," he said lowly.  
  
Fernando raised an eyebrow. "Eh? What's that? Not a girl, eh? Oy, fellas, she says she's not a lass!"  
  
More laughted and Rei felt his eyes twitch more. He was getting rather annoyed. Fernando draped and arm about his shoulders. "At any rate, lassie, er, laddie, whichever ya be, the streets ain't safe for one such as pretty as yourself."  
  
Rei wasn't sure that last sentence made any sense, but then again, neither did this whole situation. Diego was now on the other side of him, smiling at him. He could smell the alcohol on his breath and wrinkled his nose in distaste.   
  
"We've got a nice stead we can put ya up in, lass. Fernando won't mind sleeping on the floor."  
  
"By my word, indeed I do!"   
  
Diego smacked Fernando. "It won't do for a lady to sleep on the floor, Fernando!"  
  
Rei's eyes twitched some more. "I'm telling you, I'm not a girl."  
  
Diego patted him on the shoulder. "Of course, lass. Whatever ya say."  
  
They continued steering the poor neko-jin down the street, trying to remember where they lived, amongst much banter. All the while, Rei's eye kept twitching.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Early morning light filtered in through the window. A loud knocking on the door echoed in his ears. Kai opened an eye, then rolled over. "What is it?" he mumbled into the pillow.  
  
The door swung open and in walked Emily. The bossy red-head strode by the bed and flung open the curtains, letting the sunlight pour in and burn Kai's eyes. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, just to make sure he was awake.   
  
"I'm up," he growled, glaring at her from under the pillow.  
  
"Just to inform you, Sir, you have a meeting in twenty minutes."  
  
Kai blinked. "Twenty minutes?! Oh, shit!"  
  
The door clicked shut and Emily was gone. Almost frantically, Kai hauled himself out of bed, nearly tripping himself with the sheets. Hastily, he dashed about, dressing, combing his hair, washing his face ....  
  
About fifteen minutes later, Kai was dressed and groomed and frantically searching his office for his briefcase. "Where the hell did I put that?" he growled, slamming shut another empty drawer.  
  
He pondered a moment or two. He'd put the briefcase down...where had he set it down? Oh, that was right. He'd set it down outside Rei's room - no, inside the room, the night before Rei was supposed to leave. And...  
  
"Oh," he said softly, then charged out of the room, back upstairs to Rei's room.   
  
He opened the door, sighing when he found it completely vacant. He missed Rei and the neko-jin hadn't even been gone two days. He glanced at the floor, and sure enough, there was his breifcase, sitting on the floor, right where he'd left it. He sighed in relief. He got down on his knees and opened it up, finding...  
  
"Clothes?" he nearly shrieked, the realization hit him in the head like a brick. "Oh, fuck..."  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hello?" came the annoying, high-pitched voice of the secretary.  
  
Kai held the phone to his ear with his shoulder. His hands were busy stuffing clothes into a suitcase. "Konnichi wa, Mizuki-san. This is Hiwatari Kai calling. I need to speak with Pedro-san immediately."  
  
"Just a moment, please, Mister Hiwatari."  
  
There was a beeping sound that signalled he was on hold. He nearly lost his balance, trying to shut the suitcase.   
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Pedro-san."  
  
"Ah, Hiwatari. You're late for our meeting."  
  
"That's what I'm calling about. I need to cancell said meeting because-"  
  
He paused. He couldn't tell Pedro the real reason - he had to make up an excuse and fast! "My...er...Aunt has just passed on."  
  
"Oh, I see. That's too bad, Hiwatari. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow morning then?"  
  
"Well, you see..."Kai began, thinking up a lie as he went along. "I have to go out of town for the funeral. I'll be gone for about a week."  
  
There was a crackling silence. "Very well, then Kai. I expect to see you in my office a week from now, at nine-o'clock sharp."  
  
Click. Pedro had hung up. Kai sighed in relief and set down the phone. He'd bought it! Kai grinned to himself. He now had one week to recover the misplaced money! He slammed shut his suitcase and tore out of the room, intent on catching the next train to the city.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Pedro smirked, twirling the phone cord about on his finger. "Yes, Jose. I just got a call from Hiwatari."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"He said he was going out of town for a week..."  
  
"He doesn't have the money, then."  
  
"It's just as I said, Jose. He's given the money to the neko-jin."  
  
"So, now, I get there before he does?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
Static. Pedro smirked to himself and placed the phone on the cradle. The plane was in action...  
  
"We'll teach Hiwatari to send off his valuables."  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
[A/N: Taa-daa. Another chapter. Sorry if it was short, I wanted to finish it before I went to work. XP R&R pleez?] 


	4. To The Kitten

(A/N; Thankies for all the loverly reviews! ^^  
  
Anime Girl: Super heros...bah! Who needs them? We've got the bishies out to save each other! ^_~ YAY! SUGAR! Just what I need at....9:00 in the morning. X3 And yes, V-Force makes them look younger, not older. It confused my parents. It was funny. (Yes, my parents are forced to watch the show. They actually know the characters' names! Though they get Rei and Kai confused. O__o;;;;) ^_^ And I don't mind if you do crazy reviews - tis more amusing for moi. ^_^  
  
me+ray: I'm glad you like the story so far. ^^  
  
Desi: Yes, I am evil. D Glad you noticed! I said Li and Mariah were safe? O_o;;; Whoops...=3 Kai probably won't die...I'll just put him in peril until the last second, when Rei swoops in and saves him and all that crap. ^_^ Or maybe I'll kill him. I really don't know yet....O_o;;; Thankies! COOKIES! *munches on cookies and sprinkles them with sugar* Mwha...this chapter is going to be insane...Oh, and Kai says "thanks" for the gun.   
  
Rei: Actually, He said "hnn." Which translates as "thanks".  
  
Yes, Kai has his own form of language. O__o;;;;  
  
Neko Oni: Yes, Rei is pretty. O__o;;; But, that's why he's a bishie! ^O^ Rei the ballet dancer...why can I see this? O_o;;; Awww...ya should've put the tutu in. XD *flounces off to draw Rei in tutu...but gets dragged back b/c she has to write the chapter.* I don't know if I'd like to be Rei...O__o;;;; I like me. ^^;;; *is vain and knows it* Rei's sister isn't a Mary Sue...I hope not at least. o.o She's actually based on a Japanese fanart I saw from Season 2 (named Mari, ironically enough). She looked exactly like Rei...except, her eyes were green. O__o;;; Tha Spanish names are actually the names of minor characters from Season 1 (mostly from the American tournament). There was Pedro, Jose and Miguel on one team, and Fernando, Diego and Axel on another and Luiz, Frankie and Mario made up another team. *knows lots of useless info* And ya know what - Spanish is tres, tres facile! o.o Yo hablo espanol, si si - est verdad! (I speak Spanish, yes, yes - it's true!). None of those irregular verbs like in French...*growls* And if you know French, it makes it even easier! ^_^ And I dun have to go bak to skool till the second of September...going into gr. 11. And then my b-day is September 11th! WooT- go me. I'll b sixteen! ^_^  
  
Ha-chan: Govern your own life. Stay out of mine.  
  
Tenma Koneko: I'm glad you enjoy the fic so much and it's okay if it took you long to review, because it's taking me forever to update. -__- Am a busy Abee, I am, I am.   
  
Now! On with the fic!)  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 4: To The Kitten  
  
Clickty-clack, clickty-clack.  
  
Kai gritted his teeth in annoyance as the sound of the wheels churning served to remind him how slow the train was really going. Oh, of course, it was but the newest, fastest model available, but it still wasn't fast enough. Nothing was fast enough for Kai when he had something as terribly important as this to do.  
  
He stared irrately out the window, watching the green-con-brown landscape rolling by the window. It was a beautiful September day outside, but he was stuck in coach. The sun was shining, warmly, but not too hot and a breeze blew gently, carrying with it the spicy scent of autumn. Kai slumped back in his seat, crossing his arms and mentally ranting.   
  
The miles rolled by. On and on the train went, seemingly for mind-numbing eternity. Kai lost track of time. At first, he repeatedly checked his watch every five minutes or so, then on the half-hour, then on the hour, and finally, not at all. All it did was make him more impatient.   
  
Why the hell was he so hurried? He knew where Rei was and he had a week to get the briefcase back before he had to meet Pedro. He could make that, with days to spare. Something was telling him it was going to be that easy, that something wasn't right...  
  
Maybe he was just impatient because he was going to see Rei again. That was probably it. He ignored the ringing warning bells and smiled at the thought of seeing Rei again. Maybe they'd go shopping...After all, he had a week.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Rei's ear twitched. Somebody was moving about. Instinctively, he tensed, ready to spring if and when he was attacked. He opened an eye, peering about from under the mess of blankets on the floor. He watched the floor intensely.   
  
There. Feet swayed back and forth in front of his vision. Somebody was moving back and forth. The movement was almost hypnotic and Rei's tail swung back and forth in like a pendulum in anticipation. He felt like a kitten, just waiting to pounce.   
  
Closer, here they came...walking his way, closer still...  
  
Wait for it, wait...  
  
Almost there, another couple of inches...  
  
Now! Rei lauched himself out of his hiding place and attacked the person's left foot, sinking in his claws and teeth viciously. He tasted blood in his mouth.  
  
"Shit! My foot!"  
  
Whoever he had ahold of toppled to the ground, swearing a blue streak and trying to shake him off. He unwound himself, tearing his teeth out of the flesh and sat back, looking at his "prey".  
  
A purple-haired boy glared back at him. "What in the hell do you think you were doing?"  
  
A blond boy poked his head out of the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. "What's going on, Fernando-chan?"  
  
"This bloody neko-jin just attacked me foot!"  
  
"Neko-jin? How on earth did a neko-jin get in here?"  
  
"I don't bloomin' well know!"  
  
The purple-haired boy, Fernando, started to get up. "Diego, you didn't leave the door unlocked again, did you?"  
  
The blond shook his head. "No! I locked it...I think...or did I?"   
  
Diego was now deep in thought, when Fernando snapped his fingers. "Diego-chan, weren't we talking to someone last night?"  
  
"Yes, yes we were..."  
  
"A girl..."  
  
"And we..."  
  
"Invited her back here..."  
  
"And she kept insisting she was-"  
  
Diego stopped and both Fernando and Diego looked at Rei, slightly stupified. Fernando looked at Diego. "Well,he certainly isn't a girl and he's a neko-jin to boot!"  
  
"Fancy that," said Diego, a smile playing on his features.   
  
Rei didn't say anything. Instead, he stayed on the floor, crouched up, looking at the carpeted ground. He glanced up suddenly, into Diego's face. "Oh, my, you're right Fernando. He does look like Mari-chan. In fact..."  
  
Fernando was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest. "His eyes are the wrong colour, though," he murmured.  
  
Diego nodded. "Right you are, but it's almost scary how much he looks like Mari."  
  
Rei blinked in confusion. Who was this 'Mari' person? Diego and Fernando were still chattering on. "I say, speaking of Mari, shouldn't she be stopping by here soon?"  
  
"Maybe she's already been," chimed in a third voice as Axel emerged from...somewhere, Rei wasn't quite sure where.   
  
Fernando and Diego looked at him. "Indeed, she might have been by already, old chap, we've been quite the lie-a-beds this morning."  
  
Diego bounded over to the door and opened it. "No, no, she hasn't been yet."  
  
Fernando snorted. "And you can tell, Blondie?"  
  
"Aye, I can, smart-chops. There's no basket of stuff here."  
  
Fernando mused, before he said, "But suppose she's been and left the basket, but somebody took it afore we were up?"  
  
Diego smiled. "Then I suppose it wouldn't be there, now would it?"  
  
"Aye, it wouldn't be, would it?"  
  
Diego started to shut the door. "Master Diego, it's rude to shut the door in a lady's face."  
  
Four pairs of eyes looked toward the source of the voice and Diego flung open the door again. A green-eyed girl smiled at him. "Ohayo, Diego-san."  
  
"Ah, Mari-chan! You're here at last! We were wondering where you got to!"  
  
Mari frowned. "I've been by twice already and none of you were up," she said sternly.  
  
Fernando scuttled across the floor, getting down on one knee and kissed Mari's hand. "Ah, Fair Maiden, we are grievously sorry for the inconvience we've caused you."  
  
Diego got down on his knee also. "Aye, aye! We're sorry for the trouble us three hermits have caused this fair maiden!"  
  
Mari sighed and rolled her eyes, then she caught sight of Rei. Her eyes widened. Rei blinked in surprise.   
  
"You," they hissed at the same time, baring their teeth.  
  
Mari brushed by Fernando and Diego, dropping the wicker basket she'd been holding. The two boys blinked. "Eh?"  
  
Mari glared up at Rei intensely for a moment and Rei glared back. She relaxed a bit and smiled. "So, it really is you," she said in an off-hand manner.  
  
Rei curled his lip upward, letting his canines peek out. "You should have told me The Mandarin was like that."  
  
Mari cocked her head to the side. "Like what?"  
  
Rei frowned. "A bar for the drunks -"  
  
Fernando, Diego and Axel gasped at the disgust in the neko-jin's tone.  
  
" - and run by a whore."  
  
Mari bristled. "Sakura is not a whore, brother dear."  
  
Rei blinked and backed up. "Brother?" he repeated, dumbfounded.  
  
Mari clasped a hand over her mouth, as if she'd just screamed a foul word. Diego elbowed Fernando and whispered, "I told you he looked like Mari."  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
The shadowy figure stole down the streets, weaving his way through the crowds. His cloak was pulled up high about his nose and mouth and his eyes watched, half-hidden by the hat he wore. His shoes clicked on the dusty backstreet.   
  
Where? No, not there...Maybe...no, not at all...where? Where?  
  
Nobody really noticed him, or noted that he seemed different from them. He was focused on a task, moving with the crowds. Nobody would have thought the task he was intent on was killing a man, but then again, nobody could see the pistol hidden underneath his cloak.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Judy looked idly at the mail. Tyson sat on her left, munching on an apple. Max was on her, right, shuffling cards. Judy turned an envelope over, trying to read the foreign handingwriting. She'd never seen it before. Unsure, she opened the letter, surprised when several pieces of cardboard fell onto her lap.   
  
Max and Tyson looked at her, confused. "What is it, Mom?" Max asked, solemn as ever.   
  
He'd never quite been the same after he'd come home from the "war". It had changed him, that was for sure - something must have happened that shook him from the core. He wouldn't tell anybody what happened, but Judy suspected Tyson knew.  
  
Max seemed to be quite fond of Tyson, and vice versa, and it was making Judy rather uncomfortable. She expected Max to grow up and marry well, settle down and have a family. Part of her wanted to be a grandmother.   
  
She picked up the papers in her lap and looked at them warily.   
  
"What are they," Tyson inquired through a mouthful of apple.   
  
Max smacked him. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Tyson," he scolded.  
  
Judy rubbed the ink on the cards. "It looks like they're...tickets, of sorts," she said slowly.   
  
Tyson plucked another paper out of the envelope. "You've been invited to the grand re-opening of 'The Saucy Kitten'", he read out loud, taking another bite of his apple.  
  
Judy gasped in horror and snatched the paper out of Tyson's hands. Max glanced at her. "What's wrong, Mum?"  
  
"What's a 'Saucy Kitten'?" Tyson asked stupidly, looking confusedly at Judy.   
  
Judy huffed. "It's a horrible, rotten, low-down place for scoundrels and womanizers. I can't believe they'd send Master Hiwatari something like this!" she exclaimed, grabbing the envelope off the table and leaving the room.   
  
Tyson looked at Max. "What's a 'womanizer', Maxie?"  
  
Max sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure...but I think it's someone who really likes girls."  
  
"What's so bad 'bout that?" Tyson asked, munching on the apple, then noticing he'd already eaten it down to the core.   
  
He threw it away. Max shrugged. "I dunno. I just know that the 'Saucy Kitten''s some sort of night club in the city."  
  
Tyson leapt up. "Then let's go!"   
  
Max stared up at him, startled. "What are you talking about?!"  
  
Tyson made a wild gesture with his arms. "Let's go to the night club! It'll be fun!"  
  
Max frowned. "It's a bad place, Tyson."  
  
Tyson winked and offered he blond his hand. "What's so bad about some dancing and a couple drinks?"  
  
Max looked undecided. "Well..."  
  
Tyson winked. "We could make it our first official date."  
  
The blond blushed. "Tyson!" he spluttered, then held a finger to his lips. "Not so loud," he whispered.   
  
The blue-haired boy smiled. "Then we have a deal?"  
  
Max thought for a moment, then nodded. "Great!" Tyson exclaimed. "Now, all we have to do is get those tickets..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mari sighed and looked nervously about the room. "You're my brother," she said softly, almost regretfully.   
  
Rei opened his mouth to say something but she slapped a hand over his mouth. "I don't have time to answer your questions right now. Just..."  
  
She glanced at Fernando. "Bring him by my work tonight, okay?"  
  
The purple-headed boy nodded. She turned back to Rei. "I'll answer all your questions then."  
  
She let her hand slide off his mouth and gave him a sort of half-smile, before she turned and whisked out of the room.  
  
Rei glanced at Fernando. "What does she do?" he asked.   
  
He had a nervous, sort of sinking feeling about what his 'sister' did for a living. He didn't want to hear it if he was right, but then again, they said curiousity killed the cat.  
  
Fernando looked at Axel and Diego, then looked back at Rei, sighing. "Mari...she..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It was half-past ten. Kai gritted his teeth. He was still trying to flag down a bloody cab. A couple stumbled drunkly by him, going the oppposite way down the street. Kai merely rolled his eyes. This was a common occurence in the city.  
  
He glanced back ahead. A neon light on the side of a run-down brick building flashed the words "Saucy Kitten" into the night sky. Loud music thudded dully from the inside. Kai frowned. He didn't know why, but he felt as if he should go there.   
  
He was utterly disgusted by that thought. He was a high class citizen - he shouldn't even think about hanging about with strippers and drunks. But still, he found himself walking in through the double doors, into the neon-coated, smoke-filled club.  
  
~*  
  
(A/N: Mwha. Another chapter done. XD In future chapters, beware of: cross-dressing, drug use, sex, incest, foul language and some dirty dancing. And maybe (just maybe), somebody singing. ^_~ R&R please?) 


	5. Fixated

(A/N: X( Gaaaaaahhhh....Stupid me forgot to save this chappie....Stupid me also forgot what I was writing....Thus, this chapter, I think, is completely disjointed, horrible and needs to be re-written. But I'm too lazy to do it. =) Thus, we'll all suffer together. D Mwha.  
  
AnimeGirl: ^_^ Glad you like and somebody will die...I can garauntee it. O__o;;;;   
  
Neko Oni: ^____^ Wow! Those are my fav things too! YAY! *dances* And the drug use isn't so bad yet...maybe Rei will get drugged though...excellent idea. D Mari and Rei haven't got that far yet...but maybe...just maybe, when Rei's high or something...D you really need to stop giving me ideas. O__o;;; Abee+ideas=Bad combo & evilness. Thanks for the "happy b-day" in mucho advance (my b-day's not for another two weeks O__o;;; Exactly two weeks.) And I've always been told I'm mautre for my age. o__O;;; I talk to adults more easily than I talk to ppl my own age. Nineteen...wow...@_@ I feel so young and...illegal. X3 I can't do ANYTHING yet! Except write the fic. XD  
  
And now, on with the fic!)  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 5: Fixated  
  
Rei waited impatiently with Fernando for Mari. They were at the back door of some back-alley place. Rei could hear music and screaming, but he didn't want to draw conclusions.   
  
There was a clatter of high heels on tarmac and Rei glanced to his left. Mari nearly tripped as she skidded to a halt by the door. Fernando looked at his watch. "You're late," he said nonchalantly.   
  
Mari gritted her teeth and placed a palm to her cheek. "Sorry, but that jerk Jin....well, you know how he gets," she said with a shrug.   
  
She turned to open the door and Rei looked at the side of her face. It was black and blue and her one eye was nearly swollen shut. She'd plastered it with make-up, but it wasn't hiding it at all.   
  
She opened the door, then paused and grabbed her ankle. "Shit," she muttered, rubbing furious circles.   
  
Fernando raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I tripped going down the stairs. I barely made it here."  
  
Fernando frowned, but didn't say anything. Mari turned back to Rei and smiled. She looked like she was in pain, though. "Well, ready?" she asked.  
  
Without a reply, she turned and went into the building. Rei followed, almost reluctantly and Fernando shut the door behind them.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Luiz tapped his foot impatiently, frowning. Mari gave him a terse smile. The blond sighed. "What happened now?" he asked.   
  
"Jin," was all Mari said.   
  
The blond grabbed her face and looked at her critically. "Shit," he said.   
  
She shrugged. "I'm fine, thanks -"  
  
"You can't go out there looking like that."  
  
Mari laughed bitterly. "That's Sakura's job, ne?"  
  
Rei glanced back and forth, confused. Luiz caught sight of him. "Hmm? Who's this, Mari?"  
  
The green-eyed girl smiled. "That's my brother, Rei. Rei, this is Luiz, my boss."  
  
Rei nodded curtly, but Luiz seemed to study the neko-jin. A slow smile crossed his face. "Well, Mari-chan, I think we just found a replacement."  
  
Mari looked momentarily mortified. "Luiz! He can't -"  
  
The blond man sent her a harsh glare and she shut up. He turned back to Rei. "Can you sing?"  
  
Rei shrugged. He didn't know. What kind of question was that anyways?  
  
Luiz shrugged. "Oh well, I guess we'll find out."  
  
He put a hand on Rei's shoulder and led him down a dark corridor. The music was getting louder. Rei wondered briefly if this was some sort of karaoke bar.   
  
Luiz opened a door on his left and pushed Rei inside. Mari followed him in. The door shut and locked. Rei sat down in the middle of the room, completely baffled. "What in seven hells is going on Mari?!"   
  
The green-eyed girl sighed. "Don't you know where we are?"  
  
Rei shook his head. "This is the Saucy Kitten, Rei."  
  
His eyes got wide. "T-th..."  
  
Mari gritted her teeth. "Yes, the Saucy Kitten. I work here. I go out there, I do my number, get paid and get to eat tomorrow."  
  
Rei stayed silent, slightly stupified. Mari gritted her teeth. "Well, whatever," she said, her anger evident in her voice. "Luiz doesn't want me going out there - not like this, anyways, but the show must go on."  
  
"W-what...exactly do you do?"  
  
A sly smile passed across Mari's features. "Well...I dance...and sing...And there's some other things I do that I won't mention."  
  
She finished with a wink and Rei closed his eyes. "Tell me this is some horrible, twisted nightmare, please..."  
  
"'fraid not," Mari said, almost gently.   
  
She sat down beside him. "Let's get you made up, ne?"  
  
Rei looked at his supposed sister, then sighed. "If I must," he murmured, horribly devastated by the thought of what he had been thrown into.  
  
Mari smiled, got up and paraded over to the vanity. Rei hadn't noticed it before. The raven-haired girl marched back, bringing with her lots of various rouges and powders.   
  
Half-an-hour later, Rei's face had been plastered with more make-up than he'd thought existed in the world. Mari had taken out his ponytail and braided some of his hair. The sight of himself in the mirror scared him. He hadn't realized he was so...feminine. All it had taken was a bit of make-up (well, a lot) and...a few more things to make him look almost identical to his sister.   
  
Mari smiled and handed him two pieces of glass. "This is the last touch," she murmured.  
  
Rei raised an eyebrow and turned the glass over. They had been painted like eyes - deep, emerald eyes.   
  
Mari took one out of his hand. "They're contacts," she explained. "Your eyes are a different colour. People will figure something's up."  
  
With that, she somehow managed to jam the thing in his eye. Rei pulled back, holding a hand over his eye and wincing. "What the hell!"   
  
He turned to glare at her and she attacked again, stuffing the other piece into his left eye. "Jesus Christ, Mari! That hurt!"  
  
She shrugged. "Doesn't matter - it had to be done. Now, get out there, Rei-chan."  
  
She pushed him out the door, into the hallway, letting him trip over his own feet in heels. She laughed and shut the door. He stood there in the hall, feeling very exposed and very much like, well, a drag queen whore.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Kai slithered through the crowd, avoiding the overly-drunk men and the sluttish women as best he could. The room was filled with a haze - a curtain of smoke that hung heavy on the air and infiltrated your lungs everytime you breathed in, causing you to choke on it. It was suffocating.  
  
In a far corner, though his vision was hampered, he could make out dull forms moving against one another in a rather...provocative way. He turned his gaze away. He had half a mind to turn around and leave. He didn't know why he'd come in here in the first place.  
  
He was tired and strung out. He needed to get away from here, away from the noise pounding into his temples. He needed to lie down and sleep - forever.   
  
He found himself at the bar, amazingly having ordered himself a drink without even thinking. The bartender handed him the sweating glass, which froze his hand. He turned back toward the crowd, ready to leave.   
  
But what happened then forced him to stay.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Max peered at Tyson over the rim of what had to be his eighth martini. The blond was blushing and giggling like mad, unused to alcohol and its potent effects on the human body when consumed in "large" amounts.   
  
Tyson merely smiled back at his would-be-boyfriend, which sent Max into another round of hysterics. Beside Tyson, Kevin slouched in his seat, rolling his eyes. "I'm too young for this," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
And it was true. All three of them were under-aged for drinking and drugs and sex, the likes of which filled the atomospehere about them. The smoke on the air was sweet-scented and choked you, yet seduced you at the same time. The lights from the stage where three strippers had been preforming earlier were refracted through the smoke - hazed and unclear, much like many of the people that filled the Saucy Kitten.   
  
It was a miracle the three of them had gotten in. But after all, Tyson was the Mister Kai Hiwatari, and Max and Kevin were his two 'associates'. They were high society, with money and power and the bouncer had no choice but to let them invade the interior.   
  
So, there they were. Three teenage boys in the midst of a racy club in a city far from home, drinking and having a good time, exposing themselves to a world that had previously unknown or unexplored. Tyson glanced up at the stage, realizing the music had started picking up again. It must have been nearly time for the next act.   
  
Kevin glanced over at the bluenette, then back at the stage, wondering what had caught his attention. Max was too busy eyeing Tyson and giggling into his drink to notice. Kevin watched the stage for a moment, watching the shimmery curtains draw back, listening to the music become slow and sultry...  
  
The preformer took the stage. Kevin nearly fainted. He knew that person.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
She was a seductress, that was for sure. She wasn't curvy, she wasn't overly buxom. She wouldn't be much to look at without her make-up, without her costume. But her green eyes were complimented by heavy lashes and purple shadow, making the irises light up. Her eyes caught you and made you loose yourself in their depths. She had mastered the art of batting her lashes and the heavy-lidded look of seduction.   
  
Her lips were lush and coated in a pale rouge that shimmered in the dull light. The eye was drawn to them as they moved, wrapping themselves about the words of the song. Her tongue danced with them, and although you couldn't see it, you knew it was there and had to wonder how wonderful it was. Her voice was soft and smooth, filled with lust and it wound its way about the music notes as though the song had been written just for her. Her voice made the harsh words like 'cock' and 'fuck' sound so lush and gentle.   
  
Her heart-shaped face was framed by her fabulous raven locks, which shimmered like silk and the men longed to rake their hands through it and the women wished the could shear it off and make themselves a wig of the beautiful hair. The locks were straight, almost straw-like, but they bounced and curled too, and it seemed that she had to have some sort of wig made of several different people's hair.   
  
Her hands...Oh, her hands! They were long and elegant, the nails painted a pretty pale pink. She emphasised her movements, her words with those hands and many men trembled with intense lust, just for her touch, a feather-light brush from one of those hands.   
  
She was dressed in a skanky number, so slutty it was amazing and yet, so elegant it was disgusting. It shimmered in the light, making her seem a goddess in that hell-forsaken place, making all eyes focus on her, whether they wanted to be fixated or not. She drew their attention to her, with motion, with sound.   
  
Her legs were long and her whole body was lean and tanned. Had she been famous or anybody of noteworthy status, she would have been a sex symbol, having young teenage boys jerk off to her image.   
  
She was motion, as she slid across the stage, hardly seeming to move at all. Her body was liquid and she was nothing but grace itself. She was the seductress and nothing more. She was the seductress, and nothing less.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kai's nerveless hand dropped the glass he was holding, letting it drop to the floor. He couldn't tear his eyes away from...her...or him, whichever it was. This person, she looked so much like Rei it was startling, and yet...she reeked feminity and she was the aura of confident. But the voice....  
  
They could hide eyes, but they couldn't hide a voice.   
  
The glass shattered.  
  
There were a couple of disturbed shouts, and then, the girl had stopped singing and she was looking directly at him. Emerald eyes met crimson and he knew. Oh God, it was Rei standing up there like that and it was all so horribly embarrassing and in a moment,, somebody would find out and everything would come down about his ears.  
  
Yet, strangely enough, he was wholly turned on by the situation. Emerald gaze tore away from his and he felt alone and empty suddenly.   
  
"She" was leaving, going, going, gone...Offstage, the curtains flapped shut and people began to mutter and shout, anger in their voices. The music stopped.   
  
"Oy! Mari"  
  
"Mari -"  
  
"...Mari..."  
  
Mari? Who was Mari? That was Rei, he knew it was and it hurt him so.   
  
He turned away. He had to find Rei, he had to get backstage, find Rei, talk to him...  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Kevin stared wide-eyed at Rei, his "role-model", as the black-haired boy in drag preformed a sultry rendition of some old song. Kevin was mortified. Rei was in drag, Rei looked like a whore and he was acting like one too, making things all the worse.   
  
The green-haired neko-jin buried his face in his hands, as if trying to prevent further corruption. He couldn't look at Rei...not after this. He'd never be able to look him in the eye again. This...this was too shameful.  
  
The music stopped, people were shouting. High heels clacked swiftly across the stage-top and he glanced up. Rei was running...well, stumbling, offstage, as if embarrassed. Kevin blushed furiously.   
  
What right did Rei have to be embarrassed? He was the one who had gone out there! He was the one who wanted to pretend he was a whore! He'd already made Kevin embarrassed, so why did he have to be embarrassed too?   
  
Tyson poked Kevin. The green-haired neko-jin hissed in response. Tyson continued, oblivious, stil staring at the stage. "Was...that Rei?"  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Mari dashed alongside Rei, her eyes slitted. "What did you do that for?" she hissed.   
  
Rei kept walking, his eyes staring straight ahead, as if focused on some distant goal. Mari dashed along, getting in front of him. She grabbed hold of his shoulders and held him. "What happened?" she asked, trying to sound as gentle as she could when she knew that she'd be taking a verbal beating from Luiz later...  
  
Rei glanced down at her, then shoved her aside and kept walking. "Leave me alone," he muttered, anger, embarrassment and resent evident in his voice.   
  
She gritted her teeth and sprinted after him. She dashed in front of him again, walking backwards. "Oh no you don't! Tell me why you ran offstage like that! You've probably ruined me now!"  
  
"What do I care? It's a horrible job anyways! You shouldn't be working here anyways!"  
  
"Why do you care where I work? It's not like you have to do it every night of your life!" Mari shrieked suddenly, tears welling in her eyes.   
  
Rei paused and looked at her. Then, he shrugged and walked away. "You're right. It doesn't matter to me. I don't even know you," he said, softly, sadly.  
  
Mari wiped her eyes with her forefingers. "I don't know you either."  
  
Rei turned back to her. "Then we're even. Sister," he added grudgingly after a moment.   
  
"Brother," Mari grumbled.   
  
She followed him into the dressing room. There was silence for a moment, then Mari started softly, "I...I'd like to know you, Rei-chan. You're the only other person in the family now."  
  
He turned back to face her. "Mari-chan..."  
  
The room was too small suddenly and Mari was too close, closer than a sister ever should be to a brother and she smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. "You're beautiful, Rei-chan," she whispered and he was mesmerized by her lips, so like his own and so different...  
  
It was forbidden and condemned, but they were damned to hell anyways, so why not? Lips moved on lips, flesh on flesh...and then more...and more...  
  
And bang, the door flew open and there stood Kai, eyes wide.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
[A/N: Well, okay...so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...Mwha...Another cliff-hanger of sorts. D Kai should be nosebleeding massively about now, ne? D Well, R&R and let me know what you think. ^_^] 


	6. The Break Up

(A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews and sorry about the slow update, but life's been insane. I'm now working seven and a half days a week - three days at work, five days at school. I don't get a break. I'm about at my wits end and this is only the first week I've been back to school. *tears at hair* Sorry if I'n ranting, but work really peeved me off....I don't need to work 24 hours a week!!!!   
  
Ne whooooo....  
  
Anime Girl: I'm writing. ^_^ I'm odd, I'm weird...I like incest (only in anime currently...). ^_^() Kai isn't going to be happy yet but he's not going to die, so no worries. Can't say the same for Rei though... _   
  
Neko Oni: ^_^ I'm glad you liked it. And I'm currently working on a piccie of Rei-chan in his "costume" (if I ever get it up...-_-;;;) Kai was the icing on the cake, huh? Mmm...Kai-icing...=9 Kinky...maybe I should write a lemon and Kai can do some vouyerism? ) I looked at thyne site and I liked what I saw. ^_^ Gomen nasai about the slow update but....yeeeeaaaah....I won't go into that. -_-;;;;  
  
Rayne-Sora: ^____^ YAY! I'm uncliche! *dances* Have I mentioned I hate cliches? Mwha...I am an evil Abee, ne? )   
  
Desi: Yes, yaoi fans should look away now...I was just exercising my het. writing skills. ^^;;; Don't be sick...*hands over a barf bag* -__-;;;; I'm a bad, bad Abee....I know...Death? I mentioned death? *looks at chapter* o__O;;;;; Tyson is pretending to be Kai! MWHA! XD And Max will drink eight martinis if I say he does! So nyah! *gets smacked* @_@ Yesh, Kevin, I'll make it all better soon....  
  
Tenma Koneko: ) Yesh, another cliffy...I am ebil, ebil...I'm updating as fast as I can, but it's not soon enufff for my tastes...*glares at work and skool and social life* ¬¬ And I think this sorta ends like a cliffy...not really...but...oh, nevermind, I'm rambling. ^^;;;;  
  
NOW! On with the fic!)  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 6: The Break Up  
  
Kai could only stare in shock at his boyfriend-con-slut who had his slender arms snaked about the waits of an equally skanky girl who looked...exactly...like...Rei...  
  
Despite the horror, outrage and embarrassment coursing through his veins, his voice came out as a small, confused whisper. "Rei?"  
  
It was enough though. The 'twins' pulled apart suddenly, violently, the shorter of the two nearly ending up on her behind. The taller looked at him and he knew instantly that this was Rei.   
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
His voice was rising. Rei's eyes darted about nervously. "Kai -"  
  
"What the hell do you think you were doing, Rei?! You've been a whore before, I wouldn't think you'd like to be one again!"  
  
"Kai-chan -"  
  
The bluenette held up his hand. "Shut up, just shut up! I don't want to hear you're lame excuses Rei! If you want to be a whore, you do just that!"  
  
Rei's bottom lip quivered slightly. Kai glared at him, eyes blazing crimson. "But don't you ever think of coming back to me."  
  
He turned and stormed away. He couldn't take that sight, Rei's hurt, betrayed eyes, when really, he was the one being betrayed.   
  
Rei's face twisted up into a scowl, pure hatred residing in his eyes. "Fine!" he screamed after Kai, clenching his fists at his sides. "I hate you anyways! I hate you!"   
  
He slammed the door to the dressing room shut, limbs shaking with fear, with grief. He didn't dare look at Mari - he knew he'd hit her.   
  
"Rei -"  
  
"Leave me alone."  
  
"Please -"  
  
"Get out."  
  
Softly, he heard the door click shut, signalling Mari's exit. His knees gave out and he fell to the ground and cried.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
The streets were slick with rain. Cars rushed by, sending up spray. Kai pulled the collar of his jacket up higher about his ears, but it didn't prevent him from getting soaked. It was still pouring buckets.   
  
With his hair plastered to his head, he started down the street, away from the club. He wanted to get away from here, away from the event. He wanted to wake up in bed tomorrow with the sun shing and pretend that tonight had never happened and that he was going to see Rei and get the money -  
  
He stopped dead. The money. He'd completely forgotten.   
  
"Fuck!"   
  
He kicked the cement and a couple walking by looked at him strangely. He glared back and they hurried on their way. He shook his head, sending water droplets flying. "What am I going to do now?" he groaned to the sky.  
  
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and kept walking, trying to mentally sort out his dilemma. He couldn't go back to Rei and apologize. That was too shameful and his pride wouldn't allow him to crawl back to the neko-jin on his knees and beg for forgiveness.   
  
He kept walking, scuffing his shoes against the wet ground. He paused and banged his head against the wall of a building. "Think, Hiwatari, think!"   
  
Well, that was it then. He'd have to steal it back without Rei knowing. Now, the only problem with that was that he only had a week to do so...  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Mari breezed into the room and shut the door behind her. She spun around to face the blond man, a wide grin spreading across her features. She suddenly seemed sinister.  
  
"Luiz," she hissed, excitement evident in her voice.   
  
Luiz raised and eyebrow but didn't turn around. "What is it Mari?"  
  
"Hiwatari, he's here!"  
  
The blond spun around. "What? He's here?! Now?! Where is he?!"   
  
He got up and charged toward the door. Mari frowned. "He was here. He just left. He and Rei...had a spat," she finished dully, indicating there would be no more discussion of that topic.   
  
Luiz grabbed her by the shoulders. "You let him go?!"  
  
She hissed and bared her teeth. "Yes, I let him go! He doesn't carry his fortune with him, you fool!"   
  
Luiz let go of her slowly, as if realizing this. "So he doesn't."  
  
Mari slunk into the room, frowning, as if in deep thought. "He says he doesn't want to see Rei anymore..."  
  
Luiz said nothing. Mari continued, pacing slightly. "He won't take lightly to me. We're going to have to get them back together."  
  
Still, Luiz said nothing. Mari turned around. She faced thin air. Luiz had apparently lfet during her monologue. She sighed. It was no use talking to the blond. He thought little and understood even less. She curled a strand of hair about her finger. A devilish smirk crossed her face.   
  
She was just going to have to play a little game...  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Tyson dragged a thoroughly drunk Max along behind him, heading for the nearest bathroom. The blond had already thrown up once - he didn't need a repeat. The bluenette thought bitterly of his ruined shoes.   
  
He pushed on the swing door, then paused.   
  
"Aren't you chaps a little young to be in a place like this?"   
  
He glanced up to see a purple-haired boy leaning against the wall, eyeing them suspiciously. Tyson glared at him warily. "Well, aren't you?"  
  
"I'd certainley say they are," piped up a higher, more cheerful voice.   
  
Tyson glanced at a blond boy to the violet-headed one's left. The blond grinned chipperly at him. "Indeed, a bit too young and naive for such a place as this, eh old chap?"  
  
He nudged the other, who grunted, "Oh, shush up, Diego."  
  
Max let go of Tyson's hand and stumbled into the bathroom. Tyson ignored him and glared at the other two. "Why do you care?" he growled.  
  
The blond, Diego smiled. "Oh, we don't of course. But they do," he said rather warily, pointing toward the stage where three uniformed men were searching the premises. Tyson blinked and swallowed. "Cops," he muttered.  
  
Diego shook his head. "Oh, no, lad, those aren't the cops. They're soldier-types, right and proper, ya know."  
  
He winked and Tyson ducked into the bathroom. The door swung shut behind him. The sounds of retching grated on his ears. The door squeaked open and the shut again, squealing on it's hinges. "Ya know, we've got a place not too far from here."  
  
Tyson grimaced - Deigo had followed him in. "What do you want?" he asked, exasperated.   
  
"I said, we've got a place not too far from here. You can put up for the night, if you please. You're friend is rather...err...what's the word I'm looking for?"  
  
"Sloshed," a voice cut in. It was the purple-haired boy.  
  
"Sloshed, that's right! He's rather sloshed," Diego said, smiling weakly at Tyson.  
  
The bluenette grimaced as he heard the tell-tale sounds of Max vomitting again, then sighed in resignation. "Fine..."  
  
"Jolly good!" Diego exclaimed and grabbed Tyson by the arm.  
  
The bluenette made a rather unmanly 'eep' and jumped as Diego's fingers curled about his arms. The purple-headed boy walked further into the room and knocked on the stall door, before opening it up. He hefted Max up. "Passed out," he said.  
  
Diego shook his head. "Novices," he muttered, then proceeded to lead Tyson out of the bathroom. "Well, let's go, what?"  
  
The door swung shut behind the exiting party.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The hallway was dark and dim. The single hall light flickered and buzzed with the faulty wiring. The smell of cigarettes and sex filled his nostrils.   
  
His footsteps echoed as the floorboards creaked beneath him, his shoes scrapping the ratty carpet. He looked at the worn doors, crooked on their rusting hinges. Ahhh, the bakcstage life of the nightclub.   
  
He paused at the door he wanted. He nosed it open, the light from it filtering into the hallway. He held the revolver at ready and took aim....  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Rei felt frantic. His hands scrambled through the vanity drawers, searching for something, anything..  
  
Make-up, seemingly centuries old in colours he'd never heard of spilled and caked on his fingers. His mascara ran down his cheeks, accentuating his tears. "Fuck, I hate him, I hate him..."  
  
He slammed shut another door, causing the cracked mirror to tremble in fear of his wrath. He wiped his face with his forearm, smearing mascara all over his arm and cheeks.   
  
"I hope he rots in hell..."  
  
He hands clambered upon something else. Round little pills, the cold plastic of a pill bottle...  
  
He pulled it out and read the perscription label. "Kon, Mari...Morphine..."  
  
His hands shook. "Morphine..."  
  
Part of him wondered why she had morphine; part of him didn't give a fuck. His fingers combed over the small, smooth pills...  
  
He took a handful of them out of the drawer. He was shaking so badly...  
  
He was amazed he didn't drop them.   
  
Before he knew it, they were gone. A heavy sense of sleep descended upon him. The room spun about desperately and he clambered to keep up right.  
  
It was no good. His hands clawed at the material of the floor as it started to slope vertically. His eyes fell shut. He was asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
[A/N: Short, pointless chapter...*kicks it and glares* Yeesh. I can do better, I know I can, but I'm tired, I've got a headache, school's a bitch and so is work and I don't care.....R&R pleez? It makes me feel like there's a point to all this...] 


	7. Trouble Begins

(A/N: Yay! Thankies for the loverly reviews! ^O^  
  
Desi: XD So I did mention death! Well, there certainley will be plenty of it...I've already consdered starting to kill off charas. O__o;;; Rei needs drugs...heh...Good ol' druggie Rei, ne? XD And yes, Max does feel very, very, very bad in the morning. Thing sdon't look good now, but hopefully they'll look better. @_@ I'm working as fast as I can! And things are starting to look better around here...I can drive! WOOT! look out roads, Abee can drive! XD I'm glad you like the story! ^O^  
  
Neko Oni: Yay! You signed in! Yay! Clones! He's not o'd'ed yet. ^_^ That comes later! And yes, Mari is a druggie. That shall all be revealed later...mwha...later...Maybe they'll rape him, maybe not. Depends on how I feel. ^_^ lmao I was contemplating having Kai stay and watch. XD A little bit of voyuerism never hurt, ne? And as long as Rei-chan stays under the couch, everything will be okay...*backs away from the couch slowly* O.O  
  
Now, on with the fic!)  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 7: Trouble Begins  
  
The blood throbbed through his veins, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Groaning, he rolled over, trying to block out the sounds. His temples thumped in time with the drum.  
  
A blue eye peeked open, then shut again promptly as the strong sunlight filtered in through the dusty window. Max lurched up, the twisting feeling of his stomach becoming too much to bear. It crept upwards. He groaned again and flopped back against the bed.   
  
A door creaked open, much to Max's dismay. The sound was caught by his over-sensitive ears and amplified sixteen times. It sounded like a thirty-thousand tonne truck rolling over and crushing itself, the metal of its frame cracking. Max grabbed a pillow and shoved it over his head.  
  
"Max?"  
  
The voice boomed, even though it was only what would have normally been a whisper. Max whimpered, then winced, the noise in his throat making the headache even worse.   
  
"Max-chan?"  
  
Thud, thud, thud, went the footsteps as Tyson's stupid voice boomed out across the room and shook poor Max's head about. A hand on his shoulder - oh, wonderful. The bluenette was shaking him violently by the shoulders. Max swore his cranium shifted.   
  
He opened an eye, wincing as the sunlight poured in. His head screamed in protest. Tyson smiled. He was too bright to look at - the sun had illuminated him so that Max could barely see him, save for the blurred edges of his sillohette. He closed his eye again. "Go 'way," he muttered, wincing as again the vibrations of his vocal chords ground on the nerves in his head.   
  
He buried his head back under the pillow, hoping Tyson got the drift and left. The bluenette didn't leave though. Instead, he stayed where he was. Max could tell by the steady breathing that rung in his ears. Or maybe that was his own and his mind was skewed enough to duplicate the sound. He didn't know. He didn't care.   
  
He was going to be in shit when he got home.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Boom!  
  
The sound rang out across the train station, echoing for miles around. The catostrophic noise was followed by another of its kind, and another.   
  
Trains screeched to a halt as the tracks before them bent and twisted in the heat of the inferno. Smoke billowed from between their wheels. People dove from the coaches in droves, handerkerchiefs, coats, scarves wound up about their noses in an effort to keep out the smoke and ash. They skirted the flames, rushed into them, in some sort of mad chaos. Panic shone brightly in their eyes, reflected by the flames that daunted them.  
  
Here, there, the little fire sprites sprung up, catching a woman's skirt, a man's trenchcoat, searing them and sending them up in flames. They were too panicked to notice, continued walking, running, struggling.  
  
The flames crackled and licked at the building, widing their way across the support beams in the roof. Amid a cascade of embers, sparks and burning metal, a rod came crashing down. People screamed, leapt back. Some recoiled in disgust. Others shrieked for help, suffocating themselves with their cries.   
  
A child had been crushed under the falling support, blood and bones spattered across the floor. The corpse fell victim to the flames, burning and smoldering as the Bible depicted the sinners would in Hell.  
  
Sirens screeched outside, tires crunched upon gravel, brakes squealed. Gravel was flung up in showers by frantic feet; long, thick hoses were drug through it.   
  
Another defeaning boom caused everyone to pause for a split second. One of the engines had toppled, its fuel tank exploding into the fire's fuels. Several seconds later, another engine followed. Everyone paused, too scared to move, to frantic to help. A rip-roaring sound started, low at first, then higher and higher until it rent the air like a jet plane. Plaster fell out of the ceiling.   
  
Cries of shock, of horror and of pain pulled at the air. Then the voices choked on the thick black smoke. Electrical wires unwound, falling to the ground like rescue ropes and with them, a shower of searing sparks. The roaring continued and then, the ceiling caved, plunging toward the ground.   
  
In the aftermath of the fire, when all the flames had been stomped out and the ashen mess let steam rise into the grayed air, nobody could tell what had happened. Nobody knew how many had died; who had been in there. The twisted corpses of the trains lay on their sides, the fire having melted their bodies, twisting them into gruesome new shapes that held some sort of sinister foreboding.   
  
There was no indication of who had been, what had been done. Not far from the ruins of the station, the army found something hastily scrawled on the dusty gravel of the rails. It was sprayed-painted, the airy-ness of the blood red paint giving it away. "Long live the Revolution!"  
  
What did it mean? Nobody knew. Who were "the Konekos", the ones who hastily left their mark on the railroad here? Nobody knew. But they had to be caught! They had to die, they had taken the lives of the innocents!   
  
But who were they? If they weren't caught, would they stop at this?   
  
One thing was for sure, this wouldn't be the end of it. Soon enough, everyone would know who the Konekos were. And everyone would be afraid when they heard that name.   
  
This wasn't the end of it.  
  
"Long live the Revolution!"  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
"And in other news, the train station was bombed by an unknown terrorist force. Police are investigating the site as we speak and the special miltia has been mobilzed. We will have further information later."  
  
Kai turned off the television, ending the endless stream of babble that the news reporter was spouting forth. "Train station bombings," he muttered. "What next?"  
  
He sat down on the dingy cot in the dusty, grey hotel room. The blinds were shut. Only slivers of streetlight crept in from between the cracks in the broken blinds.   
  
It was a dreary place, it was a dreary time. It was a time of war, of revolution, of hate and prejudice and intolerance. The wind of change was blowing through the streets of this very place...  
  
But Kai had more important things to worry about. Things that were closer to him personally, things that were joined to him at the hip. Like the money for instance. If he didn't get that money back, he was going to loose his estate and the neko-jins under him were being sent off to slave labour.  
  
Speaking of neko-jins, Rei was currently his biggest problem. He was furious with the neko-jin and so disappointed in him. He wanted to slap Rei and scream at him until his throat bled and his voice was hoarse. Part of him wanted to forgive the neko-jin and just get on with life. Just get on with the way things were before.   
  
They'd fought before, true. But somehow...somehow this act hadn't seemed forgivable and somehow, this fight had changed the dynamics between them. Nothing would ever be the same.   
  
Kai sighed deeply and rested his cheek in his hand. He dully surveyed the room. There was nothing here to do, nothing here to see. The clock struck three and Kai knew downstairs, the bar was beginning to empty out.   
  
He lay back on the bed, looking up at the cracked ceiling, contemplating. His life was slowly coming apart at the seams, much like this building. In its day, it had surely been glorious and rich - probably one of the finest around. But now it was forgotten and run-down. Would he be like this someday too? Forgotten and falling apart?   
  
For now, it sure seemed that way.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Mari went back down the hall. She could hear the music playing in the club. Luiz was probably preforming at high speed, as he always did. His act was the closing - the grande finale, if one could say so. She sighed as she padded along the worn carpet. There were burn holes in the rotting rug, probably from cigarettes of preformers long forgotten.   
  
She stopped at the dressing room door. Noticing it was slightly ajar, she raised an eyebrow. Maybe Rei had left? Cautiously, she peered into the room. She bit her lip to keep from crying out in surprise. Pale light crept out into the hallway, but her complexion was pale as the moon.  
  
Rei...he was lying on the floor....someone...  
  
Leaning over him. Who was that? She couldn't tell, their face was covered in a cloak and...  
  
Was that gun?  
  
She felt faint. Her heart tripped in her chest. No, no this couldn't be happening! Not now, not after she had spent so long seeking out her brother! No!  
  
With a savage cry, she hurled herself into the room, startling whoever it was with the gun. She sprung upon him, teeth and claws bared.   
  
He was in mid-turn when she was upon him. Gold eyes faced green. She knocked the gun from his hand and sank her teeth into his flesh, hard, but she tasted no blood.   
  
Instead, she was flung into a nearby wall, her head connecting hard with it. The room danced about confusedly and now she tasted blood, the coppery tang reminding her it was her own. Dully, she heard footsteps and the swing of the door. The room vanished into black.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The clock struck two. A shadowy figure made his way down the back alley. He was garbed all in black, blending in perfectly with his surroundings. A few silver strands of hair hung down about his face. His blue-grey eyes darted about. His movements were cautious and careful, and full of grace.   
  
He made not a sound as he crossed the thin thread of wire that served as a clothes line about sixty feet above the ground. He did not look down. Instead, he scrambled onto the ledge and in through an open window.   
  
He put his feet on the floor and stood up. His body ached from having been curled in a crouching position so long. Sighing, he removed his mask, shaking loose his hair.   
  
He turned and shut the window, then drew the curtains, blocking out the outside world.   
  
He was a pleasant-looking man of about twenty-five. His skin was pale, currently flushed with the cold of the city night. His eyes were a curious blue-grey colour, obscured by his spiky silver hair. He was tall and lean. He appeared nothing like a neko-jin, yet his entire presence gave one the idea of a cat.   
  
He smiled suddenly. Two pure white fangs poked from between his thin lips, identifying his neko-jin heritage. He flopped down on the sofa, picking up some disregarded magazine. It was 'Cosmo', one of the stupid girly ones Mari read. He rolled his eyes.  
  
The clock struck three. He glanced at the clock and raised an eyebrow. Mari should have been home a long time ago. Yawning, he rolled over and got up, starting for the bedroom.   
  
Tomorrow was another day and he had things to do in the sunlight hours. He couldn't stay up forever, waiting on a stray neko-jin.   
  
He pulled the black gloves off his hands. He glanced at his palm. Printed in bold, black ink was "Koneko" along with a half-moon. He smiled venomly. By day, he was one person and by night he was another.   
  
In the living room, the magazine lay on the floor, its pages lying half across an old photo in a broken frame. The pciture displayed two happy neko-jins, one with beautiful green eyes and flowing dark hair; the other with blue-grey eyes and silver hair. The frame had been inscripted 'Mari & Jin', but the names were obscured with blood and the faces of the people in the picture marred by broken glass.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
[A/N: ....I could write more. I should write more. But I want to update before I go to work, so I won't. Plus, I dunno what to write now. @__@ R&R please? It might inspire me.] 


	8. Chance Meeting

(A/N: Sorry about the delay for this chapter. O__o;;; I have been insanely busy. but anyways...  
  
Thankies for the reviews! ^O^  
  
Neko-jin: I tried to update as soon as possible, but this was "as soon as possible". -__- Sigh. Life sucks. I'll try to be quicker with the next update, k? ^^  
  
cc: I'm glad you like the story. "Dawn of Terror" is actually complete (otherwise, I would not be able to write this). FF.net deleted it because of a "rating conflict". i'm re-posting it, but I haven't got around to finishing uploading it yet (me sho slooooow). If you really want to check out the completed form, it's on my website (http://www.angelfire.com/anime4/angelblooddarkside/frames.htm)  
  
Desi: Yesh, pity Kai. Pity boyfriend-con-clut (XD I luff that!). And mwha! I purposely left Kevin out of that chapter. I couldn't find anything to do with him. o_O;;;; But never fear, he makes his return this chapter! You love my writing? Wow. I'm flattered. o_o I really enjoyed writting Kai's part and the terrorist bombing too. ^_^ I'm glad you enjoyed it. Maybe I will make Max dance on the table next time he gets drunk...would sure prove amusing. And don't worry about Kevin and Rei dying yet. i'm not there yet...I've got plans for them, oh yes...*ebil smirk*  
  
Now! On with the fic!)   
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 8: Chance Meeting  
  
Rei's eyes fluttered open. The lights in the room spun, gradually coming into focus. His head throbbed and he felt sick. Wave after wave of nausea rushed over him. Something warm was lying against his left side. He shuddered, the rest of him being cold.   
  
Slowly, he sat up. The blood rushed back and forth between his ears and the sickness crept upwards from the pit of his stomach. He clapped a hand to his mouth in an effort to control the urge to retch. He glanced down at the floor.   
  
Mari was lying there, comatose, blood oozing lazily from her lip, her eye. A tooth was embedded in her lip and he fought the urge to be sick.   
  
Faintly, he heard a click and turned about. The door, which had been closed previously, swung open and somebody walked in. It took Rei a moment to re-focus his eyes on the newcomer.   
  
It was a man. He was tall, about six feet, with silver hair and strange grey-blue eyes that surveyed the scene with steel icyiness. His arms were folded over his chest. He might have been twenty, or slightly older. Rei couldn't be sure.   
  
He glared down at Rei. "Who are you?" he asked at last, his voice colder than his eyes.   
  
Rei shivered. "I...uh..."  
  
He found no suitable explanation. The stranger sighed, then looked to Mari. "Stupid wench," he muttered, getting down on his knees to wipe some of the blood away. Green eyes flickered open, still unfocussed with unconciousness. "Jin..." she murmured, sounding far away and small.   
  
The silver-haired man scooped her up off the floor. "What happened?" he asked, his voice loosing it's icy tone and becoming warm and gentle in quality.   
  
Mari didn't reply. The man, Jin, sighed and rolled his eyes. Rei caught sight of the fangs. Jin was a neko-jin too! The silver-haired man was speaking again. "Mari-chan, do you know what happened?"  
  
Mari still didn't reply. Instead, she looked up at him and said, "You smell like smoke."  
  
Jin stiffened and quickly set the woozy girl on the ground. "Can you walk? Can you see? Good. Let's leave."  
  
His manner had been abruptly changed once more, becoming brisk and business-like. Rei watched in curiousity. Jin turned on him suddenly. "You. What happened here?"  
  
Rei shook his head. "I...I don't know."  
  
"Hn."  
  
Mari glanced over at him for the first time and blinked. "Oh...Rei..," she said softly, as if remembering something important.   
  
Jin glanced between the two of them, but nothing more was said. The man placed a hand on her back. "Let's go," he said sternly, guiding her toward the door.   
  
"No!" she shrieked suddenly, lunging at Rei. "Rei! I can't leave you!"  
  
Jin hissed and swore under his breath. Rei swallowed nervously. Mari had grabbed his wrist and was rubbing his hand against her face. "You're coming too, Rei-chan. I won't leave you behind, not again. I won't."  
  
Jin's eyes narrowed, almost jealously. He turned away from the scene abruptly. "Let's go."   
  
His voice was dark, angry. Mari didn't seem to notice and gladly led Rei out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Morning sunlight streamed in through the windows. The smell of coffee and cooking bacon took over the entire household. Judy stirred awake, blonde strands of hair falling into her eyes. She yawned and sat up, throwing away the warm covers. She shivered as the cold of the morning air washed over her.   
  
She padded downstairs, wrapping her housecoat more tightly about her. She wandered into the kitchen, her bare feet slapping at the cold floorstones. Emily didn't look up from her cooking and didn't reply when Judy said, "Good morning."  
  
The blonde woman sat down, shivering still. Silence owned the kitchen, even when Emily practically threw a plate of eggs onto the table with a loud crash.  
  
Judy looked at the fiery red-head funny. Emily huffed and re-adjusted her glasses. "Is there something the matter?" Judy asked carefully.  
  
Emily wiped her hands on her apron. "I'd think you'd know, Miss Judy. Something here is entirely amiss. Those three boys - they;ve gone and got themselves into trouble again!"  
  
The maid shook a wooden spoon angrily. "They've gone, vanished into thin air!"   
  
She threw up her hands in exasperation, emphasising her point. Judy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, vanished?"  
  
Emily shook her head. "I mean exactly what I say! They're not here - they're gone!"  
  
The next thing she knew was that Judy was racing out of the kitchen, knocking over her coffee cup in the process. Emily blinked. The only sound in the kitchen was the steady drip-drip-drip of the coffee running off the edge of the table.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
It was a bright and sunny day. A soft breeze was blowing the falling leaves about and the scent of autumn spiced the air. People were out and about. Hiwatari Kai was currently seated on a park bench, hands stuffed into the pockets of his over coat. He glared out at the world, lost deep in thought.  
  
  
  
Presently, somebody sat down beside him. He shifted over slightly, not even giving the newcomer a sideways glance. A long time passed, only the rustling of leaves making a sound. The person beside him spoke, never turning to look at him. His voice was steady and calm. "You are Hiwatari Kai?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
The stranger seemed to consider this answer for a little while. "You know a Kon Rei?"  
  
Kai, surprised by the question, glanced up at the stranger. He was a man of about twenty, with silver hair and grey-blue eyes. He was staring straight ahead. Kai stared at him for a moment more. He turned his head and looked at him. "I know where he is."  
  
Kai didn't answer him, but instead, studied the man's face, his eyes. He found that he could trust this person. "Yes, I know a Kon Rei," the bluenette said at last.  
  
The man smiled, almost bitterly. Wordlessly, he handed Kai a slip of paper and rose from his seat. "Meet me there at nine o'clock tonight," he said as Kai unfolded the paper.  
  
On it was written an address. Kai glanced up at the man, just as a particularly strong breeze sprung up. The wind gusted by, dragging with it swilring leaves. The man walked away. Kai folded up the slip of paper and put it in his pocket. Then, he got up and left, heading in the opposite direction of the man.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Judy flung open the door to Max's room frantically. Her heart got stuck in her throat. The bed was made - it hadn't been slept in and Max was nowhere to be found.   
  
She stumbled backwards out of the room. She felt tears prick her eyes. Max....Max was gone...gone....  
  
Her knees gave out and she fell down, a hand clapped to her mouth. She was shaking.   
  
There was a clatter of footsteps on stairs, but she barely heard it over the blood rushing through her ears. Emily's hands were on her shoulders, her faint voice trying to reach her, but she couldn't hear her...  
  
Stupidly, she let herself be helped up, then guided back to her room.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Max sighed and hung up the phone. Tyson looked worriedly at his companion. "Now answer?" he asked.  
  
Max shook his head. "No. The line must be out or something."  
  
The blond clenched his fists. "How am I supposed to let Mom know I'm okay?"  
  
Tyson wrapped an arm about Max's shoulders. "Hey, hey. It's okay. We'll get to her eventually, okay? Just be patient."  
  
Max nodded into the bluenette's comforting shoulder. "Okay..."  
  
It was then Fernando walked into the bedroom. "Oy, you two! Diego's got breakfast on the table, if you want to eat. If you don't, I suppose that's alright too."  
  
He withdrew from the room. Tyson looked about. "Hey...where's Kevin?"  
  
Max glanced up. "What? You mean he's not here?"  
  
Tyson shook his head. Max frowned. "Oh no..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The three teenagers smirked down at him. "So, what ya gonna do now?"  
  
"Yeah, cat-boy?"  
  
"Aww, not talking, eh? Whatsa matter? Cat got your tongue?"  
  
Kevin squirmed against his bonds, making a muffled noise through the gag. The three teenagers laughed cruelly. The leader, a blond, looked back at him. "Oh, you're really gonna get it, kitty-cat."  
  
"Leave him alone," a fourth voice interrupted.   
  
The three teens and Kevin all glanced left. A man with silver hair and grey-blue eyes was sitting on the lowest stairs of the apartment building they were next to. The blond kid sneered in contempt. "Oh, yeah? You gonna make us?"  
  
The man shut his eyes and smirked. "You scum aren't worth my time. Get lost."   
  
The blond kid clenched his fists in anger. His two comrades, a boy with blue hair and a girl with green hair, took up fighting stances behind him. The blond kid started to yell. "Well, come on! show us what you're made of! Come on! Or are ya scared of us?"  
  
Grey-blue eyes re-opened, narrowed into angry slits and a low hiss was emitted from a fang-bearing mouth. Kevin's eyes widened in recognition. /A neko-jin.../  
  
The blond kid smirked. "Huh. Another kitty-cat for us to play with. You ain't worth OUR time."  
  
It was over in a second, before anything really happened. The man was upon the blond boy, knife in hand, pressed over the boy's throat. The slitted eyes stared down into fearful blue ones. "Get out of here. Tell your friends. Koneko is a word to be feared."  
  
The boy nodded fearfully and the silver-ahired man let him up. The boy got to his feet, helped up by his buddies. He wiped a hand across his face and spat. Then, he turned and fled.   
  
The silver-ahired neko-jin turned to Kevin. He smiled gently and got down, untying the small boy. "Hey there. You all right?"  
  
Kevin nodded numbly, feeling the circulation start to come back into his limbs. The man smiled. "Good."  
  
Kevin looked up at him, admiration shining in his eyes. Here was a neko-jin who couldn't be beat! His lips formed the words effortlessly. "Who are you?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
[A/N: Duhn duhn duhn. Another chapter done. ^^;;; R&R please? I think I finally have a direction for this...] 


	9. Dreams and Dark Alleys

(A/N: Thankies for the loverly reviews! ^O^  
  
Sarcasmcat: I'm glad you like the story. ^_^   
  
Desi: lol My catch-phrase caught on! And, yes, Kevin does need to worship Jin! worship him, I say! Mwhahaha! Very good thing Kevin didn't see the kiss. He'd probably be scarred for life. Yes. Kai is mad. Mad about Rei. Mwha! ) Here's the update.  
  
Neko Oni: I know what you mean. Let's start a moffia to destroy school! XD And Rei needs like, an exorcist or something. ^^ And if you don't have the time to review, don't bother. It's not really that important. ^_^  
  
NOW! On with the fic!)  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 9: Dreams and Dark Alleys   
  
The alley way was dark. No, scratch that, it was more than dark. The sky was black, and the darkness was so inky that Kai couldn't see more than a few metres in front of his face. He stood there, trying to act casual, glancing about nervously. The longer he stood there, the more uneasy he felt.   
  
At long last, there was a sound over the noise of cars, a sound closer by. He wasn't sure whether to tense or relax. As if to answer the unasked question, a voice, clam and smooth, called to him and said, "Relax."  
  
Kai trusted the voice and he did. He felt clamer now. He couldn't see the person who owned the voice, but he knew that said person was standing beside him now. He glanced up. "Where's Rei?"  
  
"He'll be here in a moment," the man said off-handedly.  
  
They waited in silence for a moment more. "What's your name?" Kai asked suddenly.  
  
There was a pause, before, "Jin."  
  
Kai looked at the ground, thinking. He'd heard that name somewhere before. He tried to come up with where and why, but he was drawing a blank. Before he could ask another question, there was the pitter-patter of feet on pavement signalling someone's approach.  
  
Someone skidded to a stop, huffing and wheezing. "Jin!"   
  
The voice was high and feminine. Both Kai and Jin turned instinctively to look, but could see nothing through the darkness. "Jin, there's something wrong with him!"  
  
The voice was frantic. Kai wracked his brain - he'd heard it somewhere before! "you," he hissed suddenly, and both people turned to him.   
  
Kai pointed in the direction of the girl. "You! You're the one who was kissing Rei-chan!" he accused, loudly, anger rising in his voice.  
  
He heard the girl take a step or two backwards. "You...how...who are you?"  
  
Jin was looking between them, confused beyond imagination. "What's going on here?" he demanded, quiet anger in his voice.   
  
The two others ignored him. "Who are you?" the girl asked again, this time with a bit more force.   
  
"Who are you? And why were you kissing Rei?"  
  
Jin turned to the girl. "You were kissing him?! I thought you said he was your brother!"  
  
"He is!"  
  
"Then why were you kissing him?"  
  
"I...wasn't...," came the pathetic excuse.   
  
The girl whirled on him. "Hiwatari Kai," she growled.   
  
There was a metallic click. Jin sighed. "Mari, put the gun down."  
  
Kai's eyes widened a bit in surprise. Just who was he dealing with here?  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Kevin looked over at Rei, who was now sleeping peacefully. Just moments before, he'd been screaming and crying. Kevin sighed in boredom. The clock in the living room struck midnight.   
  
Kevin glanced about. The apartment was dark and dingy. There was nothing to do. He sighed heavily and got up. Rei would be alright for a few moments.  
  
He wandered about. There were picture frames and magazines all over the place. The kitchen looked as though it hadn't been cleaned for ages. There were ash trays and cigarette buts littered about the place.  
  
He came across a closed door. He supposed it was Jin's bedroom. Rei was lying in Mari's currently. Curious, he pushed open the door. Jin had told him to stay out, but that made him wonder. What was in here?  
  
He glanced about the room. It was even more of a mess than the rest of the apartment. Clothes, cigarettes, papers, everything was scattered everywhere. Kevin stepped into the room, the floorboards squeaking under his weight. Casually, he looked about.   
  
There were porno magazines stacked on a shelf. The sheets of the bed were a bloody mess. There were several pill bottles and numerous packages of cigarettes on the night stand. His foot struck something on the floor. "Huh?"   
  
He glanced down and picked the item up. It happened to be a very heavy binder. Hastily, he flipped on the bedside lamp and flipped through the pages. The title page was plain and he ran his hand over the text. "Koneko," he read aloud, finding the word a funny one to be on a title page.   
  
He continued. He paused on one page. It was a map. It was very complex, with many intersecting lines and lines that seemed to run on forever and ever. He glanced at the title. "Train Station - Bombing Plan."  
  
He dropped the book in surprise. He felt his lungs choke up. "Oh...my...God..."  
  
The train station had been bombed just a couple of days back! He held a hand to his mouth. He had evidence! He knew who had done it, he knew!   
  
  
  
Jin was part of a terrorist group! Jin had been part of the bombing! He stumbled back out of the room and shut the door. He stood in the hallway, shaking. "Oh..."  
  
He slunk away, trying to forget what his eyes had seen.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Judy flew down the stairs, hat on her head, coat draped over her arm and suitcase in hand. Emily glared at her over her glasses. "And just where do you think you're going?"  
  
"I'm going to find my Max!" the blonde woman huffed.  
  
Emily snorted. "Have you any idea where he is? No, then why are you going? The trains are down anyways."  
  
Judy's heart sank. "Oh....you're right...."  
  
She sat down on the stair, her suitcase dropping from her nerveless hand. She buried her face in her hands. "Oh, what am I going to do? What am I going to do?!"  
  
Emily said nothing, but sat down beside her, trying her very best to be comforting. Silence reigned between them for the longest time. At last, Emily stood up. "We'll go together, Miss Judy."  
  
Judy looked up. The red-head put her hands on her hips. "How will we go?"  
  
"We'll go by car, of course! We'll see the country and we'll find you Max!"  
  
Judy was silent for a moment. At last she said, "I can't drive and neither can you."  
  
Emily thought a moment, then tapped the side of her nose. "I know!"  
  
She grabbed Judy by the wrist. "We'll get Grandpa to drive!"  
  
With that, she drug the other woman off to find the aforementioned "chauffer".  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Fernando frowned, looking out at the darkening sky. Deigo sat on a chair, reading the evening newspaper. Axel was in the kitchen, trying to scrounge up something edible for their guests.   
  
Max and Tyson were sitting in cold, miserable silence on the floor. Neither looked at the other. Max's eyes were downcast and Fernando was almost sure the blond boy was crying. The clock ticked steadily.   
  
Not being able to stand the stretching silence, Fernando turned to their guests. "Ay, what ails ye?"  
  
Max said nothing, but instead, turned away. Tyson answered slowly, "We can't get home and we've lost our friend."  
  
Diego looked up from the paper. "Lost your friend?" he asked.  
  
Tyson nodded. "Yeah. When we left the Saucy Kitten, he wasn't with us."  
  
"Oh," Fernando said quietly, then, "You should have said something."  
  
"We didn't remember," Max added bitterly.   
  
"Oh," Fernando said again.  
  
Diego snapped his fingers. "I know! Maybe Mari's seen him! I'll call her!"  
  
The blond boy jumped up out of his chair and dashe dinto the kitchen. There was a caltter and then, Axel yelling at Diego for being a clumsy fool. Fernando smirked slightly, then looked at the sombre guests.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Where was he? Who was he? Sluggishly, he opened an eye. What had happened? Everything had changed now. There, somebody, sitting on the edge of his bed, smiling at him. His mother. His beautiful mother. She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "Morning, sweetie," she said softly.  
  
Her voice sounded so far off and distant, like a memory. But...wasn't she? Wasn't his mother dead? Her touch seemed real enough, so solid one moment, and the next, it evaporated.   
  
Fire! Blood! Death! Everything around him was burning, blazing! His lungs hurt, he couldn't breath. Ash and smoke filled the air. Everything was so hot, it was burning up! Inferno! Flames danced about like little sprites. The air was drenched with the smell of death, roasting to a crisp. His eyes were wide open now, in shock.   
  
Black! Everything around him was black, except for himself. His arms, his arms were crimson with blood. Blood drooled down his arms, gushing out of him. He stared at it. He could smell it, he could taste it and he could feel it. It was warm and sticky. He felt sick. He sank to his knees, still staring.  
  
Kai! God, where was Kai?! He wanted the bluenette to take him in his arms and hold him and tell him that everything was going to be alright! But Kai was gone, gone gone...  
  
He was falling now, falling through the endless blackness and he screamed, but no one could hear him and - ! He was alone, and falling, for eternity now. Nobody would be able to reach him, no one could hear him scream. But he did scream, and he screamed so loud, he could hear it echo, could hear it reverbarate in his ear drums.   
  
Footsteps clattered faintly across a floor. Who? Where? And then, he hit bottom and woke up, staring up into Kevin's eyes. "Ugh..." was all he found he could say.   
  
The smaller neko-jin forced a smile. "Hey," he said.  
  
He sounded so far off and so quiet...Before Rei knew it, he was asleep again.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
(A/N: Taaaa-daaa. Another chapter. Yeah. R&R and the next chapter should be out soon.) 


	10. Truths

(A/N: Blah. I sho lazy. I not update for long time. Oh well. Me update now. ^_^  
  
Thankies for ze reviews! ^^  
  
Desi: No, Kevin shouldn't be so inquisitive. ^^ And ze skank ish just being ebil. ^^   
  
Tenma Koneko: I forgive you! ^^ I'm glad you liked the chappie so much! ^^ And no, Mari isn't Mariah. That would be...weird....o_O Thankies for putting me on your favs! ^^ No, don't kill Jin! He just might be important to the plot! O_O Jin ish goodbad. XD He really isn't either, in a way. Don't worry, it's supposed to be confuzzling. ^^ And glad u like the chappie! ^^ This chapter's even shorter. -___-;;;; Maybe Mari does have a split personality....hmmm....Ne who, you'll have to wait and see if anybody gets killed! XD  
  
Now, on with the fic!)   
  
And No Birds Sang  
  
Chapter 10: Truths  
  
Kevin forced himself to stay crouched down by Rei's side, to act natural, even when he heard Jin's voice, heard the older neko-jin's heavy footstep on the floorboards, coming toward him. god, how he hated him!  
  
He couldn't believe he'd ever wanted to stay in the same room! He couldn't believe he'd ever looked up into those horrible eyes and found them to be so truthful and friendly! Jin had saved him, Jin had taken him home, kept him safe. Jin had been so...so helpful and friendly and kind! Jin couldn't really have murdered all those people...  
  
He felt betrayed. Rei had betrayed him too. Rei...Rei was queer, Rei was so...not normal! And now, Jin wasn't either. He felt so lost and confused. He buried his head in his knees and tried to quiet himself, for there were people flooding into Rei's room.   
  
He knew Jin was there, and Mari was there, and there was a third presence. The third was so familiar, he swore he knew it. And then, he heard Kai's voice and glanced up through his tears to see the bluenette on his knees beside Rei, holding the sleeping neko-jin's hand.   
  
A hand was placed on his shoulder. He glanced up, looking into the decietful eyes of Jin. He longed to tear his gaze away, but he just couldn't. "What's wrong?" the older neko-jin asked.  
  
Kevin was tempted to yell and scream. He wanted to tell the man to go away, to let go of him, to leave him alone. He wanted to run, just run away from all of this. Instead, he shook his head no.   
  
Jin grabbed him by the arm, hauling up to his feet. "C'mon, kiddo. Come outside and tell me about it," he said, low enough so the others couldn't hear him.   
  
For a split second, Kevin wanted to believe him. But he remembered the paper and he couldn't. He couldn't trust this terrible, horrible, lying, murdering fiend!   
  
They were outside, in the alleyway, before he knew it. Jin had guided him all the way downstairs and now, here they were, in the cool of the night. Jin lit a cigarette, but said nothing.   
  
Kevin stood, staring down at his feet, shuffling them on the pavement. The silence began to get uncomfortable. "I...uh..."  
  
He didn't know what to say. Jin had told him to stay put and not wander around the house, but he did anyways. Would Jin be angry? Of course he would. Kevin had gone and done exactly what he'd been told not to do. Who wouldn't be angry with that?   
  
And of course, there was the fact that Kevin knew, that Kevin had found out Jin's double life. He found the words just rolling off his tongue anyways. The nervous adrenaline was killing him. "I...went into your room."  
  
He stopped, feeling that was sufficient, waiting for Jin's reaction.   
  
The older man blew out smoke and for a second, Kevin was reminded of the angry dragons in the fairy tales his mother had read to him when he was very small. Grey-blue eyes turned on him, gleaming dangerously. They watched him, waiting for him to continue. "You did now, did you?" he prompted, finally.   
  
"Yeah. I did. And...I, uh...found some paper."  
  
"And what did those papers tell you?"  
  
The voice was soft, quiet and as level as ever, but deadly sharp, like a knife, peeling away useless layers of information, scraping the core for the information he really needed.   
  
Kevin snapped. He couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't take staring at that two-faced murder anymore! He pointed the finger. "I found out you're...you're a murderer and a liar! I hate you! You killed all those people at the train station! You killed them! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"  
  
There was silence. There was no anger, no saddness, no nothing for a minute, just Kevin's harsh breathing, the blood pounding through his ears, the curling smoke from Jin's cigarette.   
  
Jin smirked. Jin snickered. "Nobody ever understands," he said softly, crossing his arms and looking away.  
  
Kevin looked up at him in confusion. "W...what do you mean?"  
  
Jin's nails were digging into the flesh of his arm, hard, painfully. "Nobody understands why we do it. Not even neko-jins. You're all so naive."  
  
Kevin felt his anger rising again. Jin was teasing him - talking about something that was just beyond his comprehension. He balled his hands into fists. "Just what are you getting at?!"  
  
The skin was broke and blood burst from the wound, dribbling down Jin's arm, down his nails. He turned on Kevin, eyes blazing. "Don't you get it?! We're giving those stuck up bastards a taste of their own medicine! They always trip us up, make us fall down! They kill us by the thousands, they herd us into ghettos and make us live like animals! They make us beg! Have you never been humiliated by them?! Have you never seen a neko-jin so broken, so poor, on his knees, begging for a scrap of week-old bread at the feet of a ten laughing, jeering humans?! Oh, God! I hate them! I hate them so much!"  
  
Here, he paused for breath and struck the wall in frustration. "Damn," he said.  
  
He looked skywards. He was on the verge of tears, Kevin could tell by the quaking of his voice. "They...they can kill us by the millions and nobody gives a fuck. And yet...if a dozen of them die...no, if even one of them dies, it's such a tragedy. They deserve more mourning than a million of us. And they don't."  
  
He glanced at Kevin, before he started laughing. "Lookit you. You just don't get it. I guess you've seen enough killing to think each and every life is precious. Well, theirs aren't. They aren't worth anything. Not a single one of them is worth a hundred million of us!"   
  
Jin threw his cigarette butt to the ground and started to walk away. He waved his hand in dismissal. "Do what you like," he called. "One day, you'll understand."  
  
Kevin stood in the middle of the alleyway, completely baffled. The light breeze brushed by him, snuffing the life from the glowing cigarette butt.  
  
~*~*~*~*   
  
Mari stood silently, watching Kai. Her eyes were slitted, darkened with hatred and jealously. She curled her lip in disgust as the bluenette frantically tried to wake Rei up, but to no avail.  
  
'Just look at him...so frantic, so pathetic.'  
  
She hated him. He was so weak, and so pathetic. He didn't deserve easy living. She would have bet he'd never had someone die. She'd bet her life that he didn't know what went on outside of his almighty castle. Everything was just as peachy as it could be, life was all one happy game.   
  
She would have liked to spit on him.   
  
At last, Kai turned away from the prone body, sighing. She snapped herself from her thoughts and locked eyes with the bluenette. Red eyes met green in a heated, disgusted stare. A terse silence reigned, broken only by Rei's soft breathing.   
  
Kai got up from the floor, slowly. He heard a metallic click and found himself at gunpoint.   
  
Mari's smile was cruel, cold and sadistic. "You rich bastard," she growled, almost laughingly.  
  
Kai didn't say anything. He watched the end of the gun.   
  
Mari continued talking. "So, how's it feel, to know that death's only a second away? How's it feel to know your whole happy little lie is gonna come crashing down?"  
  
Kai lifted an eyebrow. "Happy little lie?"  
  
Mari curled back her lip. "Don't play stupid! I know how you rich assholes live! Everything is good as long as you're rich, as long as you can hide! Money solves all your problems!"   
  
"What are you talking about?!" Kai asked, his voice rising.   
  
How could she just assume they were all alike? How could she just assume that just because he had money, he'd never saw the cruelty the world had to offer?   
  
"You don't know me at all," he growled.   
  
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh, fuck off. You're all the same, every last one of you."  
  
"That's like saying all neko-jins are the same - stupid, naive and lazy."  
  
"We are not!" she hissed, her hand shaking in rage. Her finger tightened about the trigger.   
  
"Then not all rich people are alike."  
  
"You...you...shut up!" she screeched and closed her eyes.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Jin walked along the street, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking at the ground as his shoes scuffed it. The sound of shattering glass and a loud bang reached his ears.   
  
He glanced up, looking back toward the apartment.   
  
Fragments of glass glinted in the light from the bedroom.   
  
He pondered this for a fraction of a second, before realizing he'd left Mari, Kai and a gun in the apartment. Alone.   
  
"Shit," he growled and changed his course, heading back to the apartment.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Kevin trudged wearily up the stairs, his mind still reeling from his conversation with Jin.   
  
Was the older man right?  
  
The shot startled him out of his thoughts and his first reaction was to throw himself to the stairs, arms over his head protectively.  
  
Silence reigned for a long time and he slowly uncurled himself. 'What was that?' he wondered.   
  
Curiousity forcing him forward, he dashed the rest of the way up the stairs, back into the apartment.  
  
"What happened?!" he called breathelessly as he tore into the bedroom, only to find -  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
(A/N: Oh, no...a cliffy...I'm so evil...R&R please? 0.0) 


	11. The Wicked Minds

(A/N: About time I updated, ne? Forgive me. I've been inspired by something else, lost my inspiration for this story, been procrastinating and every time I did sit down to work on this chapter, got stuck. I've finally got the goal back in sight and I hope I can get the next chapter out sooner. Don't count on it though. x__X   
  
Thanks for the reviews!   
  
Neko-jin: Sorry for not updating sooner and leaving you with that terrible cliffy! I feel so incredibly cruel! T.T   
  
Desi2: x___X Yeah. Those chains would be nice. Can you also get me some anti-mother spray? She keeps trying to read over my shoulder. Everytime I sat down to do this, I either got distracted or got stuck. I think I've got my focus back though, so hopefully, it won't take me too long to update!   
  
Neko Oni: Yeah...ebil cliffy, ebil Abee for not updating in a long time. x__X Life ish a bitch. Yesh, I missed u and I'm glad ur back, even if it is cloneless! And it's okay. After all, if Kai's not co-operating, just shoot him. Fixes allllll your problems. ^.~   
  
AznWhiteTigerGirl: Ee hee...Sorry about the terrible wait/cliffy. x__X Here's the next chapter, and hopefully, the next one should follow soon. Hopefully.   
  
Tenma Koneko: Meep! Don't kill me! o.o Here's the next chapter (after a long delay) and I hope the next one will be out soon!   
  
And now, on with the fic!)  
  
"And No Birds Sang"  
  
Chapter 11 - The Wicked Minds  
  
Only to find -  
  
Rei sitting upright, clutching a hand to his ear, screaming bloody murder. Blood gushed out of the wound, pouring across his hand.   
  
Kai had Mari in a headlock. The green-eyed girl was staring at her brother in utter shock. She'd dropped the gun - it now lay halfway across the floor, smoking.   
  
Kevin studied the scene for a brief moment, then wrestled the inner indesiscion and dashed across the floor to Rei's side. He tore a piece of the sheet off from the whole. He pulled Rei's hand forcefully away from the wound. He pressed the piece of cloth to the injury.   
  
How could such a small nick create so much blood?! The bullet had apparently only grazed Rei's ear, then gone on, through the window. Rei went slack against him and he realized the other boy fainted.   
  
Confusion abounded in the room, until someone else walked in.   
  
That someone was Jin. He looked around, then frowned at Mari. Slowly, Kai let go of the struggling female, eyeing her warily. Jin glared at her as she stood up. She spat blood on the floor and glared right back.   
  
"What the hell were you thinking?!"   
  
The yell broke the silence and deafened everyone in the room. Mari looked at the floor, as if ashamed. She mumbled something incoherent.  
  
"I'm sorry doesn't fix what you've done, you idiot! You could have killed him, you know?! Then what would have happened?!"  
  
Mari said nothing. She stared at the floor. Kevin wondered if they were talking about Kai or Rei. He couldn't quite be sure. Jin grabbed Mari by the wrist and dragged her to the door. He paused and looked back at them. "Excuse us. Make yourselves comfortable. There's blankets in the closet."  
  
And with that, they were gone. Kai looked at Kevin and Kevin looked at Kai. They both looked at Rei, who was prone on the futon.   
  
Kai sighed and walked to the closet and began hauling blankets out of the small space. He tossed some of them to Kevin. "Make yourself comfortable," he nearly growled. "I have a feeling we're going to be here for a while."  
  
Kevin nodded and began spreading the blankets on the floor. Kai did likewise on the opposite side of the room. He glanced over at the green-haired neko-jin. "Hey Kevin..."  
  
"Yes, Kai?" Kevin didn't even look up.  
  
Kai sat back on his haunches and looked at the floor. "You haven't happened to see a black suitcase around here by any chance, have you?"  
  
Kevin shook his head. "No. Can't say as though I have, Kai."  
  
Kai felt his heart sink. "Oh, okay then," he said indifferently and turned back to his work.   
  
Damnit! If only things could have been simple! Find Rei, find suitcase! But noooo....He'd found Rei, but Rei was no use to him without the damn suitcase!   
  
He sat back, deep in thought. He had to find out where that suitcase was! And now, he had less than a week to do it! He had no idea where to start looking - it could have been anywhere! Or worse, it could have been stolen and then - only God knew what had happened to it! God forbid it had been stolen!   
  
He didn't know what to do.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Jin glared at Mari. And he glared. And he glared some more. Oh, he was livid! What on Earth had possessed Mari to fire the goddamn gun?! She was aware of how utterly important it was to have Rei on their side, supporting them, because he had the financial means (being the beloved pet of Kai Hiwatari) to help the neko-jins out of the bitter hole they were stuck in!  
  
But no! She had nothing better to do, so why not just kill off Rei, their means of getting money! Her only blood relative! Or better yet, let's kill Kai and see said blood relative out on the streets, worthless and useless as most of the neko-jins were!   
  
Rei was in a prime position. He wasn't arrogant, he wasn't cocky, he wasn't a spoiled little brat. Jin had heard all about the escapade during Emperor Johnny's reign. And he had to say, quite honestly, he was impressed. Rei may not have saved every last one of the neko-jins, but he had saved a lot of them from being sold into bondage. He had saved a lot of them from a life of opression and misery. Of course, he'd had help, but it proved Rei was devoted to the cause.   
  
If Rei was devoted to something, then so was Kai, by default, as Jin had deducted from the story he'd been told. And if the great Kai Hiwatari was devoted to something, he could convert the ordinary people, the humans, to equality and pro-neko-jin advocates, rather than anti-neko-jin advocates.   
  
It was an ambitious plan, but Jin knew full well that if he could convince Rei to join the cause, he could get the financial backing he needed from Kai and that crucial link - the link to the other side, the link to the humans. Even if they had all the money in the world to support the cause, they could not reach the humans on the other side. They could reach out and touch the neko-jins and instill them with hope and aspirations, but they could not reach through the barrier of hatred to make the humans realize, to make them understand.  
  
In a sense, Kai was just as important as Rei, if not more.   
  
But Mari! Mari knew this, Mari was aware of it and she was still so hot-headed and stupid to try and kill one of them - he wasn't sure which one she had been aiming for. Mari wanted peace, Mari hoped for equality, but she!   
  
That stupid bitch! One did NOT attain peace and equality by killing a respected member of the other community, by killing one's only link to the other side!   
  
He could barely look at her, her slight frame huddled pathetically on the couch across from him, her head bowed, her shoulders shaking slightly. She was crying! Oh, he hated her, he hated her! She made him so mad!  
  
Her naivety, her utter senselessness, her adversity to being practical made him want to slap her and tell her to wake up, stop dreaming! This was the real world and you didn't get by dreaming of peace and equality! You got those things only if you strived for them, worked for them, died for them!   
  
Mari was too young to realize that. She'd been sheltered (well, fairly) from the crimes committed against neko-jins. She was blind to others predicaments, she was bound by impulses and her own needs, wants, desires. She was self-centred and for now, it was excusable for she was an ignorat child. Sooner or later, she had to grow up and Jin saw no signs of that happening.   
  
How long had he lived with her now? Two years, three, maybe four and she'd been like this ever since they met. She was young, beautiful and she had dreams and hopes. The whole world revolved around her and when something didn't go her way, when she didn't get something, she would get flustered, upset and frustrated. Sometimes, she'd cry.   
  
She never shed a tear for all the neko-jins who didn't make it.   
  
Her eyes were never wet for the neko-jins who would never hold a job, who would be forced into poverty by discrimination, who could never even dream of having the money to buy what it was she was crying over.   
  
The thought that neko-jins were opressed never crossed her mind.   
  
It made him sick.  
  
"Mari," he growled, thunderous and low.   
  
Her shoulders shook even harder and she sobbed outright now. "I'm sorry, Jin! I'm so sorry!"  
  
He got up. "Think about what we're trying to do, Mari. Think about the others and not yourself for once," the silver-haired neko-jin growled before he exited the room.   
  
Mari looked up, her eyes wide and startled in the darkness. She sat like that for a long, long while, just thinking, quietly.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
There was a knock on the door. Bright morning sunlight streamed into the room. Fernando groaned and rolled over. "Deigo, get the door!"   
  
There was a chirpy, "Okay," from the blond and then, the tell-tale sounds of the door opening, squealing on its hinges. Fernando covered his head with his pillow in annoyance.   
  
Meanwhile, Diego opened the door, a cheerful smile upon his face. "Hello," he said chipperly, then opened his eyes to look at a man he didn't recognize.   
  
He was dressed in a heavy poncho and his hat was pulled low over his face. Odd, green eyes glared up at him from under the shadows. He didn't reply.   
  
Diego blinked. "Uh..hi? Are you looking for someone?"  
  
"Kon, Rei," was the only reply he got from the man, whose voice was low and raspy.   
  
Deigo nearly shivered. "Um, well, he's not here right now, but I'm sure we could find out for you -"  
  
The unnerved blond found himself at the business end of a pistol barrel. His eyes widened in fright and he nearly leapt back. "H-hey now -"  
  
"Tell me, where is Rei Kon?"  
  
"I swear I don't know!" Deigo shrilled, his voice high and squeaky with fear.   
  
There was the sound of gunfire and Fernando threw the pillow off his head and sat up. "What the -"  
  
He got out of bed and padded across the dirty apartment floor, peering out into the den. His eyes widened in shock and fright. Diego was lying on the floor, a bullet wound through his forehead. He was bleeding profusely and it was more than certain he was dead. Fernando bit back a cry and ducked back into the bedroom. He hadn't been seen yet, he hadn't been seen, he hadn't been seen...  
  
There were footsteps, heavy and loud, across the floor. They were headed away from him. He could hear the mutterings of the intruder. "Where are you..."  
  
"It has to be here somewhere..."  
  
Fernando's eyes darted down to the floor. Under the bed, completely forgotten in most of the mess, was Rei's suitcase. Fernando felt almost sick. He had to get rid of it! It was evidence!   
  
Checking to make sure the coast was clear, he scrambled across the room, grabbing a pair of pants, a shirt and his shoes. He threw his clothes on hastily and tore the suitcase out from under the bed. Glancing back again, he made for the window.   
  
Steeling his courage, he clambered over the ledge and jumped.   
  
He landed in the middle of the street, scaring a couple of pedestrians. He sprawled across the tarmac. Coughing, sputtering and hoping he hadn't made to much noise, he clambered to his feet, noting that he was bruised, bleeding and dust. Ignoring it, he took off down the street.   
  
He had to find Mari!   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Jose growled as he stood in front of the open window. He glanced at the state of the room. Whoever had left, had left in a hurry. He guessed it was Rei, and Rei knew he was there, knew what he was looking for. He stuck his head out the window and looked around.   
  
Nothing.   
  
Shoving his pistol back in its holster, he turned and strode out of the ransacked apartment.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Axel, Max and Tyson walked back into the apartment. Max and Tyson were carrying large brown shopping bags, which were overflowing with legumes (as Axel kept calling them. He apparently had been to France.), fruits, and other such edible things.   
  
Upon entering the apartment, said shopping bags fell to the floor. The apples were probably badly bruised.   
  
"Holy shit!"   
  
"What happened here?!"  
  
"Oh my God! They killed Diego!"   
  
Axel checked for a pulse and found none. Then, he disappeared into the bedroom. Max and Tyson stood in the doorway, gaping. The sight was horribly gruesome and it made their stomachs twist, but somehow, they could not look away.   
  
Axel came back, carrying a sheet. He threw it over Diego's corpse, effectively blocking the blank, staring eyes. He crossed his arms and looked about. "The entire place has been ransacked," he muttered. "And Fernando's gone."  
  
Max looked fearful. "Do...do you think they got him too?" he asked, in a small, nervous voice.  
  
Axel shook his head. "They just let Diego lie here, so why would they take Fernando's body? He's either been kidnapped to be held hostage or he got out."  
  
Tyson swallowed, then snapped back to life. He laughed humourlessly. "Good thing we got up early to go to the market, eh?" he chuckled.   
  
His sad attempt at laughter was strangled by a potent glare from Max. Axel frowned. "If Fernando's been kidnapped, you'd think there'd be a ransom note around here, or something."  
  
"Not nessecarily," Max chimed in, almost miserably.   
  
They stood there, in deep thought, not saying anything for about ten minutes. Tyson sighed and sat down on the floor, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "Alright. Maybe we should search the house for a ransom note. If we don't find one, we should contact the police and ask anybody Fernando knows if they've seen him."  
  
Max blinked. Tyson was being...rational? Reasonable? Sensible? LOGICAL?! Critically, Max glared at Tyson. "Have you gone mad?" he asked, his tone almost bitter.   
  
Tyson frowned. Axel looked at Max reprovingly. "He's right, Max. That's the best course of action. Thought it'll take a while to ask everybody Fernando knows if they've seen him."  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Kai sat up, blinking as strong sunlight filtered into the room. He glanced at Rei and Kevin, both who were still sound asleep.   
  
"It's about time you woke up."  
  
He glanced in the direction of the wall to see Jin leaning against it. The neko-jin wasn't smiling. His face was grave and his tone was serious.   
  
Kai got up. "What do you want?" he asked, sounding almost cynical.   
  
The bluenette meandered in his general direction, but he could have also been aiming for the door, as Jin was standing near it. The older man put an arm about Kai's shoulders in a friendly manner, but Kai shrugged him off. "Stay away from me," he muttered.   
  
Still, Jin didn't say anything. Instead, he followed Kai into the kitchen, something like a lost puppy would follow a child home from school. Kai glared at him.   
  
They sat down at the table wordlessly, facing each other. Jin folded his hands and looked pointedly at Kai. "Kai," he said slowly, as if unsure. "There's something I want to discuss with you."  
  
Kai made no reply, and kept his face stoic.   
  
Jin ploughed on. "You know how very unkindly your race treats mine," he said, keeping his eyes on Kai's face, gauging a reaction. "I don't believe you want to see us suffer like that."  
  
Still nothing. Jin took a deep breath and continued on. "Kai, you have the resources and the status...the power to help your race to understand mine, to help bring us together. I've already reached out to my fellow neko-jins and made them believe they can be equals."  
  
Not a word, not a twitch, nothing. Sharp red eyes seemed to see through him, watched him like a hawk.   
  
Unnerved by the crimson gaze, Jin kept going. He was going to be deterred. "What I can't do, is reach out to the humans of the world and bring them hope of the same ideal. You can."  
  
"You want me to help you," Kai said coolly, as though it was something he was observing from afar.   
  
"Quite frankly, yes."  
  
"Why should I" Kai asked, his gaze piercingly curious.  
  
Jin didn't falter. "Do you want Rei to continue to suffer?"  
  
Kai shrugged. "Rei doesn't matter to me anymore," he said and his voice was as cold as ice. There was no hint of any emotion on his face, in his eyes.   
  
Jin was beginning to understand why people feared and respected the Hiwataris.   
  
Kai stood up and walked silently out of the kitchen. Jin heard the front door closing and silently, he cursed. The link that made Kai the surest bet had fallen out.  
  
Shit.   
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
The alley was quiet, and out of the way, an all together too obscure place for any normal people to go. Mari and Luis stood there, talking quietly.   
  
"Yes, he's staying with us -"  
  
"You didn't kill him?"  
  
"No, I tried, but -"  
  
"Hmph. Figures."  
  
"I want you to do it, instead. It's less conspicous. He doesn't even know you."  
  
Luis was silent for a long moment, then finally nodded in agreement. "Fine."  
  
He stuck out his hand and Mari shook it. "Good."  
  
They parted ways. No sooner had Mari struck out on her own, on her way back to the apartment, than she was accosted by Fernando.   
  
The purple-haired boy was out of breathe, cut and scraped. He looked wild, scared, like a frightened animal and Mari nearly screamed when she saw him.   
  
"Fernando?"  
  
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Oh, Mari! Thank God I found you! They killed Diego, and they're after Rei and they're gonna get me, they destroyed the apartment, thank God, Axel was gone - oh God! Axel!"  
  
Mari grabbed him by the wrists and tried to calm him down. "Fernando! Calm down and tell me what happened! Who did what?"  
  
Fernando buried his hands in his face. "Some guy...he showed up at the apartment..and he...he shot Diego! He was after Rei, and I got out of there, by God! He would have killed me too!"   
  
Mari looked startled. "Fernando..."  
  
"Here," Fernando said, shoving the suitcase into her arms.   
  
Mari looked at him, bemused. "It's Rei's," he said, almost nonchanlantly. "I thought I'd better give it to you."  
  
Mari nodded dumbly and Fernando shook her hand. "I must be off - I've got to find out what happened to Axel!"   
  
With that, he raced off again, leaving Mari with her brother's suitcase in hand. Stupidly, she looked down at it and then, coming back to herself, she decided to check the contents of it.   
  
~*~*~*~*   
  
(A/N: R&R please and Happy New Year to everyone! Hopefully, I get my act together in the new year. x__X) 


	12. Money Issues

(A/N: Thanks for the reviews! ^^  
  
Desi: No, mothers aren't easily deterred, are they? I didn't even realize I was writing a character death. o_O;;; Shows how desensitized I am. Kevin says thanks for the suit. ^^ I don't think he trusts me either.   
  
Benevolent Pharoh: Yay! Treats! ^_^  
  
Tenma Koneko: o_o;;; That was a cliffy? *didn't think it really was* ...And here I be updating! ^^;;; So don't kill me, please?   
  
And now, on with the fic!)  
  
"And Birds No Sang"  
  
Chapter 12 - Money Issues  
  
Jin heard the front door slam and he glanced up from the list of members he had to contact for th next big mission. His fingers were inky and the parchment beneath his hands wwas yellowed. Dropping the list, he wandered into the living room.  
  
There, he found Mari, trembling, holding a suitcase. Her eyes were wide with excitement. He looked at her quizzically and glanced down at the suitcase. "What have you got there?" he asked.  
  
Mari smiled broadly. "Oh! Oh!" she cried and dropped it, launching herself at Jin.   
  
He caught her and she hugged him tightly, smiling broadly against his shoulder. "Oh! Jin!"   
  
"What are you so happy about?" he asked, pushing her away from him.   
  
"Look in the suitcase!" she cried. "Look in the suitcase!"   
  
Jin looked at her warily, then moved to open the suitcase. He undid the lock, then stumbled back from the object, staring at the obscene amount of money enclosed. "What...Where did you get this?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in anger. If she'd stolen it...  
  
Mari clapped her hands. "Fernando gave it to me! Oh! He said it belonged to Rei! But, Rei doesn't need to know that - he can make a donation to our cause!"  
  
"Mari," Jin said, still bewildered, getting up.   
  
Mari launched herself at him again and this time he caught her, lifting her up into the air. "Mari!"   
  
"Jin! Isn't it wonderful! Oh, Jin! We're rich! We're rich!"   
  
He set her down and they continued to laugh and rejoice. That is, they did until someone walked into the room. They paused, looking up from their merriment on the floor, to the doorway, where bloodshot eyes stared back at them. Rei blinked and yawned. "What's all the commotion about?" he asked.  
  
Jin scowled and glanced about the room, his gaze falling on the open treasure chest in the centre of the room. It was too late to move it and he could only hope that Rei didn't see it and inquire about it.  
  
Mari on the other hand, seemed only too willing to tell Rei the source of the good news. "Oh! Rei! You never told us you were rich!" she cried, scrambling to her feet, running to hug her confused brother.   
  
"Rich?" he asked, wincing as Mari embraced him tightly.   
  
His sharp golden gaze swept the room, finally coming to rest on the open suitcase. /Funny.../ he thought. /That looks just like my suitcase...But I only brought clothes.../  
  
"That's not my money," Rei said, his voice sounding slow and stupid.  
  
"What?!" Mari and Jin exclaimed in unision.   
  
"Not your money?!" Mari screeched.  
  
"Who's money is it?" Jin cried, rushing over and shaking Rei by the shoulders.   
  
Rei tried to think of who such a substantial amount of money might belong to, but he couldn't think very well, not with Mari screaming at him and Jin shaking him. "Stop!" he cried suddenly, and they did, looking at him, waiting for an answer.  
  
Rei looked at the suitcase. It was almost identical to his....  
  
"Kai," he said softly, realizing that Kai was the only person he knew who would have such an amount of money.   
  
"Kai," he said again, his voice becoming harsh and cold. "The money belongs to Kai."  
  
Mari glanced at Jin and Jin glanced at Rei. "What should we do with it then?"  
  
"I don't care," Rei muttered, breezing by them both, back into the bedroom.   
  
They were silent for a moment or two more. "...Not his money," Mari said finally. She sounded disappointed.  
  
Jin, on the other hand, started laughing. Mari looked at him, as if she were confused. "What's so funny, Jin?"  
  
Jin smirked. "It looks like Hiwatari Kai just made an involuntary donation to the Konekos," he said, before he walked across the room.   
  
He picked up the suitcase containing the money. He smiled at Mari once more, then disappeared into the other room. Mari looked bewildered. And then she remembered something else Fernando had said.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kai walked down the street, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he really care. All he knew was that he had to think, that he had to leave Jin behind, get some air and think.   
  
His shoes scuffed the sidewalk. Autumn leaves whisked by on the breeze. The day was uncannily warm. Kai didn't notice.   
  
Damnit, he had to get that money back at all costs!   
  
But...how?   
  
A shadow fell across his path and he glanced up. His eyes widened and he felt his heart trip in his chest. "You..."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The road had been rough and uneven, but now, it was starting to smooth, which was a welcome change to the travel-weary passengers.   
  
The scenery had changed, from the small sea-side town, to the open pastures, and empty acres, and now, it had changed once more. Tall buildings rose all around them, concrete oozed over the world as far as the eye could see. Hundreds of cars crammed the streets. Ads lined the walls of the buldings, urging you to buy this, or try that. Neon signs were lit up even in the daylight hours, and they marked where the stores were.   
  
And oh the noise! It was endless, a mixed up tumult of endless sound, which was not one sound, but hundreds of thousands - voices, cars, radios, music, everything - mixed all together and stirred to become one noise.   
  
There was one noise missing however, and it was the first noise they realized was missing. No birds were singing.   
  
Judy and Emily shared a glance, as Grandpa pulled over to the curb and cut the engine. "Dis be da last stop, ladies," the old man said, getting out of the car at a surprising speed.   
  
And with that, Emily and Judy found themselves in the big city.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Jin glanced up from his paperwork, glancing toward the door. Kevin peered in shyly at him. "Jin?" he asked slowly, before proceeding into the room.  
  
Jin said nothing. He just looked at Kevin, waiting for the neko-jin to make his point.   
  
Kevin looked about nervously. "I...uh..."  
  
Jin waited patiently.   
  
"I want to join the Konekos!" Kevin blurted. "I want to do something for my people!"   
  
Jin continued to stare, but just for a moment. Then, a smile spread slowly across his face.   
  
Kevin smiled back, pleased at having made Jin pleased.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[A/N: And I'm going to leave that chapter there, as I am uninspired to do more. R&R please, and I think, the next chapter will be the last. Or maybe the second last. Whatever.] 


	13. The Long Road Home

(A/N: Well, here it is - the last chapter. Thanks for all your reviews and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it.   
  
Neko-jin: Yeah...my enthusiasm for Beyblade has really waned, plus I've got a lot going on in my life right now, so it's best to end a good thing before it becomes a bad thing. ^^;;; And Kai has a reason for wanting his money! Do not fear!   
  
Desi: Unfortunately, Beyblade's been kinda a dead love for almost a year now, which means it's high time I stopped writing it. I've also been insanely busy and it's starting to show. _ I'm gonna end this fic here and now, on what I feel is probably a better note than some of the last chapters. I really feel I lost the original intent of "Dawn of Terror", which was dealing with the tragedy that is racism. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the story. ^^  
  
So, here's the end of the fic! Enjoy!)  
  
And No Birds Sang  
  
Chapter 13 - The Long Road Home   
  
Kai found himself at the wrong end of a gun. The barrel was aimed straight at his head. The holder of the gun had his fingers held tightly about the trigger. His eyes were narrowed dangerously. "Where's the money, Hiwatari?"  
  
The voice was dangerous and low. Kai stumbled for words, stumbling backwards in his desperate search. He couldn't do anything; he was stupefied by terror. The gun followed him backwards and he didn't doubt it would be the last thing he ever saw. "I don't have it," he said, hating how his voice choked up, belaying his mortification.   
  
Jose frowned, taking another step forward. "Wrong answer, Hiwatari."  
  
Kai closed his eyes, knowing the end was close at hand.   
  
~*~*~*  
  
"Jin, where are you going?" Kevin asked, pulling the dark mask over his face.  
  
He glanced at the older neko-jin, who was garbed all in black too. Jin said nothing, his steely blue gaze focussed on the floor.   
  
The door of the room opened, revealing Mari, who was only identifiable by the green of her eyes. "We're ready," she said, her voice muffled by the cloth about her face.   
  
Jin nodded.The doorway was cleared as Mari stepped aside, allowing Jin to walk into the next room. Kevin followed him, somewhat nervously. The other room was filled with neko-jins, or at least, he presumed they were neko-jins, all garbed in black. They looked like an army of ninjas. All one could see was their eyes - blue, brown, green, gold, purple - all the colours of the rainbow.   
  
He caught the gaze of a familiar pair of gold eyes. The eyes tried to tell him something, but he looked away before he could receive their message. They were Rei's eyes. He didn't care if Rei thought this whole operation was wrong. They were fighting for a just cause and they both knew it. If they didn't do something, generations of neko-jins would suffer the same fate, the same persecution, and the same hatred they faced.   
  
Jin was addressing the crowd then, so he tuned out his thoughts and tuned in his idol. "Today, we're gonna take out the ones that are stopping that equality act from being passed. If we take them out, the act will be approved - meaning equal treatment for us all! We'll show them that we demand respect - we feel too! Koneko will be legendary. Future generations of neko-jins will play pretend in your likeness, pretending to take out the wrong-doers and win freedom for us all, without being stopped by a cop, or being ridiculed by humans! Don't you want that for your children? For your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren?!"  
  
The room erupted into loud cheers, the neko-jins stoked to action by Jin's impassioned words.   
  
"Then let's go get that freedom!" he cried over the frenzied crowd, who broke apart immediately, jumping out the windows, dashing out the door.   
  
Kevin ran alongside Jin, trying to keep pace as best he could. "Jin - Jin, where are we going?" he asked, nearly yelling over the noise they were making as they stampeded down the street.  
  
Jin glanced at him, but said nothing. He sped up, dashing away from Kevin. Kevin slowed down and nearly stopped, feeling his heart sink. Why wasn't Jin talking to him? Why wouldn't Jin tell him where they were going? Why did Jin just run away from him, why did Jin just leave him? Was this idol just as faulted as his other exaulteds?  
  
Somebody shoved him out of the way, screaming, "Outta the way, kid!"   
  
He was then kicked and shoved and screamed at. "Move it, brat!"  
  
"Jerk, watch where you're going!"  
  
"Get moving! We've got a revolution going on here!"  
  
Just as he felt the blood upon his lips and tears burning at his eyes, somebody ran by him, plucking him off the ground, into their arms. "For goodness' sakes, be careful!" he heard this someone say and realized it was Mari.  
  
He glanced about, trying to find Rei, but he couldn't spot the golden-eyed boy anywhere. He would have thought that he'd have been with his sister, but he was no where to be found. Kevin found himself worried, although he denied it to himself. He wasn't worried about that...that slut!  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Rei glanced at Jin, worry and distrust evident in his eyes. "Where are we going, Jin."  
  
He watched the older man carefully, but as before, he didn't answer the question. "Answer me Jin. Where are we going?"  
  
Still, Jin said nothing. Gritting his teeth, Rei dashed in front of Jin, forcing the neko-jin to stop. "Where the hell are we going?!" he cried, glaring at the silver-haired one.   
  
"Get out of my way!" Jin yelled, throwing Rei aside.   
  
Rei sat up and glared at Jin's back. "We're going to kill whoever wanted that money, aren't we?"  
  
He'd seen it in Jin's eyes. For the split second their eyes had met, he'd read Jin's expression and he'd found that this wasn't for Koneko, this wasn't for neko-jins everywhere. This was for Jin's own greedy purposes, for the sole sake of keeping the money.   
  
Jin turned back to him and glared. "It's none of your business, brat," he growled acidly.   
  
Rei closed his eyes and smiled bitterly. "Alright, then."  
  
He opened his eyes and glared at Jin. "Though, just so you know, you're a selfish bastard for putting their lives at risk for the sake of money."  
  
"It's not about the money, Rei!" Jin cried and he looked as though he really, really wished he could believe what he said was true.   
  
Rei said nothing.  
  
Guilt weighing heavily on his mind, Jin took off. He tore off down an alley, running as fast as he could. He had to get away from those accusing eyes, he had to get away from Rei's words. They weren't true! They weren't true! If he killed this guy, he could...keep the money...And use it to maybe buy a couple of politicians' votes on the act. It wasn't about him, it wasn't about the money -  
  
Or was it? Imagine what he could do with that kind of money! He could finally get away from the city, away from the hatred and...  
  
He opened his eyes, forcing the thoughts from his head and just ran, as fast as he could, as far as he could. And when his footfalls finally slowed, he was met with an odd sight.   
  
He'd never pictured Kai to be a weak person, never thought he'd find the Hiwatari heir at the wrong end of a gun, needing a hero to save him. Plan formulating in his mind then and there, Jin charged forward, dashing headlong, crashing into Jose, who wasn't expecting to be tackled.   
  
They tumbled through the air, Jin wresting the pistol away from the red-haired goon. When they came up, Jin had Jose at gunpoint, finger wound tightly about the trigger. He closed his eyes and let the shot go off. He heard Jose's body hit the ground with a siickening thud and then, the gun fell from his nerveless hand, clattering to the ground. His eyes widened in shock, in pain, in horror. He'd just been shot in the back - literally.  
  
Blood seeped out of the wound. Kai held the smoking revolver, sneering in contempt at Jin's lifeless corpse. "Bastard," he sneered, then promptly started to run.   
  
He knew where he was going - he had no doubt in his mind as to what Jin was doing. He'd found the money - why else would he have bothered to save him? He didn't doubt for one second that the whole of Koneko was on their way to Pedro's office then.  
  
His feet slapped at the cobblestone. He had to find that bloody money and beat them there! He had to get that money to Pedro! His life - Rei's life - depended on it!  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
They crawled all through the building, like the plague, winding their way through the offices and halls, killing anything in their way. They were silent, like shadows, and they swept through the building, rising like the bile in Mari's throat, like the level of adrenaline in her body.  
  
Where was Jin?! She was at the head of the pack now, having left Kevin behind with a rather severe wound, but she had yet to see their leader. As they wound their way around to the top, time was running out for their leader to show up and she was getting extremely nervous.   
  
The elevator chime rung out, signalling her doom as loudly as a death knell. She pulled the revolver out of its holster and charged full-on into the only room on the floor.   
  
Pedro, with his suticase stuffed full of important papers, paused and turned about to stare at her. She held the gun at ready, her fingers wrapping tightly about the trigger, choking it. Pedro raised his hands into the air, as if to surrender. He opened his mouth to say something, probably to plead for his life, but Mari was spared the sound by someone making a flashy entrance through the window.   
  
She stared into gold eyes, which didn't waver as their owner held her at gunpoint.   
  
"I'm sorry, Mari," Rei said, wincing as the shards of glass that had stuck in him bit into his skin and sunk deeper, resulting in blood. "But this is wrong."  
  
Mari could say nothing and that was when Kai dashed into the room. "Don't shoot," he growled to her, as he surveyed the scene laid before him.   
  
Mari narrowed her eyes when she saw him and remained defiant. "As if I'd listen to a human," she snarled.  
  
She pulled the trigger.  
  
"You fool!" Rei howled as Pedro hit the floor, dead.  
  
Kai shot, killing the girl in front of him instantaneously. Kai looked at Rei, who looked at him, bewildered.   
  
"You...just..."  
  
"Where's the money?" Kai demanded.   
  
"Under the bed in Jin's apartment."  
  
Kai sighed, as if in relief. There was a terse silence, before Rei broke it by saying, "Kai? Why were you paying Pedro?"   
  
Kai looked at the floor. "I was paying Pedro to sign the equality bill. There's nothing I want more than your freedom, Rei."   
  
Rei looked at the floor, at his dead sister and bit his quivering lip. They both looked toward the staircase as the sound of many feet reached them. Hastily, Kai grabbed Rei's hand and led him to the window. "Let's get out of here," he said.   
  
Rei nodded. And together, they leapt out the window.   
  
The first neko-jin to dash into the room only found smashed glass and two dead bodies, each with a gun in hand.  
  
~*~*~*~*  
  
Kevin watched the two tiny figures slowly become bigger as they approached the ground. He held his corner of the tarp tight. He glanced nervously at the other three holding the other corners of the tarp. He glanced up again. They were so close...  
  
Now was the moment of truth. He closed his eyes and waited for impact.  
  
As predicted, they landly on the tarp, bouncing on it as they hit it. Rei clung shakily to Kai, who was laughing nervously. Slowly, Kevin and his companions set the tarp on the ground. Still shaking badly, Rei got up, laughing, trying to shake off the anxiety that had found him in the air.   
  
"Good job, guys."  
  
Kevin glanced over at the other three, who had removed their masks. Max smiled broadly at him and Tyson waved a bit. The third person was a purple-haired boy he didn't know. He felt like laughing - it was so good to see familiar faces!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Judy stepped out of the car the second it she felt the brakes being applied. There was a big scene in front of the building, which rose up, biting at the sky. Police, firemen, paramedics and countless spectators littered the area. There were reporters, and cameras, and video cameras everywhere. There were neko-jins being arrested, being treated, along with office workers. Bodies were being removed from the building.   
  
Judy felt hr heart leap into her throat.  
  
"Look!" she heard Emily cry and glanced at the red-head.   
  
"Over there, Missus!" Grandpa cried and she looked, the flash of blond hair catching her eye.   
  
"Max!" she cried and dashed forward.   
  
The blond boy glanced back in her direction, then recognized her. "Mom!"  
  
He dashed over,Tyson, Rei, Kai and Kevin following in his wake.   
  
And when the happy reunion was over, the general consensus was to go home as fast as they could. So, they all piled into the car. Fernando watched from afar as they pulled away, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.   
  
And when at last, he could no longer see them, he turned away, walking toward Jin and Mari's old apartment. He knew the money was still there. The nighttime city buzzed around him endlessly.   
  
The fight for equality would continue - he'd make sure of it.   
  
~*OWARII*~ 


End file.
